


The Hunters Have Become the Hunted

by rainingiris



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Discrimination, F/F, F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Judy and Nick are hopeless, M/M, Slow To Update, Things are going down, clawhauser ships it, slow to action
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 11:07:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6608347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingiris/pseuds/rainingiris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Months after the Nighhowler Case, Nick and Judy's friendship has only gotten stronger. But others (mainly Clawhauser) have noticed that there may be more to their relationship. When Old Man Winter comes knocking, Clawhauser seizes an opportunity to get his two hopeless friends to confess to each other. Nick and Judy's budding relationship has to endure the wrath of bigots and one bad family reunion. Just when they make a stand, the city of Zootopia erupts into chaos; predators and prey riot in the streets as the predators are becoming more divided.  A ZPD officer gets shot and acts as a catalyst for a mob war between the polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, and coyotes.<br/>In the midst of all of this, Nick has to prove himself to the ZPD and city while keeping himself and Judy safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This my first ever fanfiction! I hope that was warning enough for what awaits you. Since I'm new to this thing, I would appreciate any suggestions. Anyway, as you all know, I don't own any of these wonderful characters (I do have some OCs though). If I did, I wouldn't have any college debt. So...here we go!

_Nick couldn’t feel the blood flowing from side or the pounding in his ears. All he could feel was primal fear when a gun was pointed at his beloved partner._

_“No! Please, you don’t have to do this,” Nick implored._

_Judy’s eyes were dilated and her nose was frantically twitching. She didn’t seem too concerned about the gun that was now pressed to her temple. The only thing she was looking at was the growing maroon spot on Nick’s uniform shirt. He was valiantly trying to hide it from her view. Judy knew the odds of them making out of this one were slim; well, slimmer than usual. Nick had been stabbed, she was tied up and not in the best shape to run, and Finnick was still out cold. Not to mention that they had no backup, no way to contact the ZPD, no firepower, no options._

_“Nick.”_

_Schklikt, klikt._

_The trigger was about to be pressed, and all Judy Hopps could do was straighten her back. She was not going to die being afraid. She was not going to cower or close her eyes. The last thing she wanted to see was the mammal she loved more than anything in the world. Those violet eyes were glossy with the tears she was fighting to contain, and they were filled with such love._

_“I, I wish we had more time.”_

_Oh, how she knew it to be true. Judy had devoted her entire life towards becoming the greatest cop that Zootopia had ever seen, which left so little time for finding a mate and falling in love. She thought about how she and Nick had been partners for years. If only she had opened her eyes sooner, they would have been married by now._

_“Nick, I love you.”_

_Nick was trying to stand up as he faced the gunman._

_“Don’t! Judy! JU…!”_

_Two bullets were fired._

_“NOOO!”_  
*-*-*-*-*-

_Three years earlier._

 

“No.”

“Come on, Nick. You didn’t even hear what I was going to say.”

“The answer is still no.”

Nick pulled the tassels of his hat down when the wind started to pick up. Winter had just waved its ugly head, and Nick was not enjoying Old Winter’s constant reminder that he was going to spend the next upcoming months alone and mateless. _Again._ Nick had never cared about finding a mate, since he was too busy hustling people…Erm, since he was too focused on expanding his small businesses, but his thoughts changed when he met a certain cute and fluffy-tailed meter-maid. 

_No, get those thoughts out of your head, Wilde. It’s just the Holiday Madness talking._

“Would you take a look at that tree, Carrots?” Nick whistled at the decorated and lit 300-foot Douglas fir at the center of Zootopia Central Park. “The city seems to have enough money for this hundred-foot fire hazard but enough to give us a holiday bonus.” 

“Don’t change the subject.”

Nick sighed. He knew Judy wouldn’t let it go. She could be extremely stubborn once she got an idea stuck in her head or thought she was doing something for Nick’s own good. The former conman couldn’t help but let a slight grin come out. Judy’s stubbornness, strong will, and good intentions were just some of the many things he loved about her. 

_Wilde, don’t use the ‘l’ word! You do not love Judy Hopps. She is your partner and your best friend. These feelings are only there, because she’s the only female you associate with._

That was far from the truth. There were a few female shrews in Tundra Town that he talked to (mostly because they were Judy’s friends), and he had a couple of contacts from the old days that were females. He also knew a few vixens from when his mother had tried to set him up. None of them lasted more than a few days. 

When Clawhauser asked, “So, what was wrong with this vixie this time?” Nick would simply shrug and never voice what the real problem with them were. _They weren’t Judy._ Nick realized that he couldn’t blame winter for his feelings. He liked Judy for months now.

They had been partners for about a year, but they acted as if they had known each other for decades. They were practically inseparable; wherever the fox was lurking, there was a little grey rabbit hoping along beside him, and whenever the ZPD’s star cop had free time, it was often taken by the force’s first fox officer. It didn’t help that they were roommates. 

Three months ago, Judy had discovered that Nick was living either under the bridge 20 minutes away from the city or inside of his and Finnick’s van. Nick almost bared his teeth at Finnick when he said, “Hey, Nick, why don’t you crash at my new place, so you don’t freeze your tail off once winter hits.” Of course, Judy asked what the fennec fox was talking about, which led to the fox asking Judy to join him for dinner at Le Ratatouille. He thought he would be safer in a public setting that was five minutes away from the ZPD. He also thought Finnick owed him a nice dinner after endangering his life.

Both former partners spent almost an hour explaining to Judy that Nick’s mother, Trixie Kitts, became very sick when Nick was eleven-years-old. When Nick turned twelve, he started to pickpocket and plan small hustles to help pay rent and his mother’s medical expenses. His loser of a father never visited them but left enough money to pay for Trixie’s stay at Zooniversity Hospital. After a few years, the costs got higher and his mother needed more and more treatments. That was when Nick and Finnick became a dynamic duo with an act of an older brother wanting to feed his baby brother. Now, his mother was feeling better, but she had accumulated a large amount of debt over the years. Most of Nick’s paychecks were going towards paying Trixie’s debts and her stay at the small apartment he moved her into. Judy was always a sucker for sob stories, so she apologized for being angry with Nick. 

“Does your mom know that you’re paying for everything?” she asked before Finnick picked up the tab. 

“No, and it’s going to stay that way.”

The former conman had never been so grateful that his partner just nodded and followed him out of the restaurant. He was a little surprised that Judy didn’t have anything more to say. They waved goodbye to Finnick after he made some half-assed excuse for leaving them alone. Nick was also grateful that Judy missed the wink Finnick gave him. They walked in comfortable silence for about an hour before Nick couldn’t take it any longer. 

_What is she thinking about? Is she still mad at me?_

Then a new thought popped into Nick’s head. 

_Don’t tell me she’s pitying me._

If there was one thing Nicholas P. Wilde couldn’t stand, it was when someone pitied him. All his life, mammals told him, “It’s a shame your father was a bum,” “You poor little thing,” or “If only your mother could have supported you better.” His heart started to hammer against his ribcage. He hated that Judy shared the same sad eyes those mammals gave him. She was supposed to be different than them. 

“You know, I didn’t tell you my story so you could make doe eyes at me?”

Judy flinched a little bit from his tone. Nick slowed his pace and wondered why he was angry with her. He was the one that lied to Judy. 

“I know that. It’s just, well, why didn’t you tell me?”

Suddenly, it felt as though Nick hit a wall. He stood still for minute and noticed that Judy was a foot or two away from him. 

_Why didn’t I tell her?_

“Look, it’s not like I didn’t trust you, Carrots. It’s not your problem to worry about is all.” 

In that moment Judy’s ears shot up. “It’s not my problem to worry about? How do you expect me not to worry?”

A few bystanders started to glance at them. They immediately went back to their business when Judy shot them a nasty glare that would send any predator running. “Answer me, Wilde.”

_Damn, she used my last name. I must be in trouble._

“There’s no need to make a scene…”

Nick stopped talking when he saw that Judy’s eyes were glistening and her nose made a slight twitch, which she only did when was trying not to cry. 

_Why do I know that?_

Nick tried to compose himself and gave his partner his best grin. “I knew you shouldn’t have had that glass of wine.”

“This is serious, Nick. I…” 

For the first time since he was assigned to Judy, he _really_ looked at her. Judy’s favorite pink and purple plaid shirt brought out the color of her eyes. He noticed that her violet eyes had a few specs of a darker purple hue and some blue ones. He saw something new in those eyes. Nick stared at Judy for a moment, which made her squirm a bit. Judy wanted to say something but was holding back. She seemed to be having a short internal debate with herself before she clenched her fists. Judy straightened her back and there was the faintest blush on her cheeks. 

“I care about you. You’re more than just my partner.”

Nick’s heart was pounding once again, even after Judy quickly added, “You’re the first friend I made in the city.”

“That’s kind of sad, Judes.”

“It kinda is.”

They laughed until Judy said, “We better hurry, or we’ll miss the next bus.”

Nick mockingly offered Judy his arm. “And wherever are we going to at this hour, Miss Hopps?”

Judy smiled as she answered Nick. “Home.” 

In that exact moment, her smile spread from ear to ear and her eyes were half-closed from her laughing as she held his paw and raced to the bus stop. Judy Hopps became something more to Nick Wilde. That was the moment when he fell in love with his best friend. 

_I suppose there’s no denying it; I love the rabbit._

Nick’s thoughts were interrupted when Judy asked, “Can you go with me to Clawhauser’s birthday dinner?”

The fox sighed a tad melodramatically. “Sorry, but no can do. It’s not that I have anything against Clawhauser, even though he stole my blueberry donut.”

“You have no proof that Clawhauser did it.”

“Who else would have the gall to steal a mammal’s donut at a police station?”

“Nice try, Slick, but you’re not getting out of this one that easily.”

The rabbit gave him her cheekiest smile, which did not help Nick in his weakened state.

_Curse you, Winter!_

Judy’s expression then grew serious. “Hey, is it all right if we talk?”

“We’re talking right now, Carrots.”

“No, I mean somewhere else. I have something to tell you, and it’s very important.”

That made Nick pause. He only saw Judy look that serious when she was standing on her soap box about justice. For a small moment, Nick allowed himself to hope that there was something more to what Judy had to say. 

“Sure. When and where?”

Judy released the breath she and Nick didn’t know she had been holding. “Tonight. Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll go anywhere tonight as long as you buy me a blueberry pie there.”

Judy’s smile grew about three sizes. 

_Oh, no, that’s not good._

“How about at the Hotel Figaro? Say eight o’clock?”

_A hotel? What did Judy want to do at a hotel…wait, could this be, could she want to, is this what I think it is? Get a hold of yourself, Wilde! You’re worse than the saps you make fun of._

Nick flirtatiously replied, “I’ll be there, Darlin’.”

Clearly, Judy did not expect that response from her partner, because the tips of her ears started to turn a light shade of pink. “Great, I’ll tell Clawhauser.”

All of Nick’s hopes and dreams had burst with those four words. “What?”

“Yes, I have something to tell you, and I want to do so at Clawhauser’s dinner. It’s at the Hotel Figaro.”

“I’m not going.”

“Oh, yes, you are. You said that you’ll go anywhere as long as I bought you a blueberry pie there and I will.”

“I did not say ‘anywhere’…”

Before Nick could finish, Judy pulled out a pen with a snowrabbit top. She played a voice recording of Nick saying, “I’ll go anywhere tonight as long as you buy me a blueberry pie there.”

“How many of those things do you have?”

“Enough. Look sharp and don’t forget to buy a present. Don’t get anything that fell off one of your friends’ trucks.”

“You wound me, Carrots,” said Nick as he placed a paw over his heart. 

Judy started to walk towards the City Center Mall. She quickly turned back to Nick and gave him a peck on his cheek. “I’ll see you in about an hour.”

She tried to scurry away, but the fox was too quick. He pulled her into a hug. “I’ll be there, Clever Rabbit.”

It seemed like Judy wanted to stay in Nick’s embrace for longer, but she had errands to do. She quickly dashed through the streets as she shouted, “Bye, Silly Fox!”

Nick called back, “You really want to get away from me, huh!”

Before Judy disappeared behind a store, she replied, “You know you love me!”

She didn’t hear the faint answer. “I do.”  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The Hotel Figaro sat at the corner by City Center Mall. Its eighty-foot columns had green and red lights swirled around them and each of the hotel’s two hundred windows had a wreath. Garland and ribbons surrounded every doorway and window. The palm trees surrounding the hotel were decorated like giant candy canes. Every bellhop carried jingle bells, the doormen wore Santa Paws hats, and the maids looked more like sugarplum fairies. It all was too much. 

_No wonder Clawhauser picked this place._ Judy smiled as she thought what Nick would have made of the hotel.

_Looks like the heart of Zootopia, City Central, is also mainstream holiday central, huh, Carrots?_

Judy shook her head. She noticed that her thoughts had been preoccupied with Nick lately. Well, more than lately. Ever since the fox became her roommate, she thought about him more and not all these thoughts were decent. Her mother would have a fit if she knew how Judy would sometimes find herself staring at Nick while he slept. 

_It’s not my fault that he takes off his shirt! It’s also not my fault that he looks so cuddly and warm…_

A few snowflakes landed on the rabbit which stopped her train of thought. She jolted when a snowflake landed on her noise.

_Keep it together, Judy! Focus on the task at hand._

Judy Hopps was no stranger to fear, but she could often conquer it. She faced the toughest bully at Bunnyburrow, she spoke of her childhood trauma to Nick (to explain why she was frightened by him after the press conference), she went against infamous mobsters (that now consider her to be a part of their family), and she was often threatened by predators three times her size. But nothing could make her more afraid than one predator. 

If she told any of her friends back at home that her partner made her anxious, they would say, “He’s a fox and you’re a rabbit” and leave it at that. However, their species had nothing to do with why she was so afraid of Nick. Well, their species only played into a small portion of her fears. Judy was afraid that Nick could never love her the way she loved him. She was mature enough to admit that she was in love with the fox. She could also admit to herself that that fact frightened her. Judy, unknowingly to her partner, gave him her heart and he had the power to break it into a thousand pieces. She never wanted anything more than to be a cop until now. 

_What if he doesn’t want to be my partner after I tell him?_

_No! No, Judy. You will not chicken out. You are a tryer and by golly, that’s what you are going to do. You are going to tell Nick that you love him, and if he doesn’t love you back…_

Judy exhaled and opened the hotel door. 

_You are going to keep loving him, because you don’t know when to quit._

As soon as Judy entered the hotel, she found herself being crushed by one of her dearest friends.

“Bunny girl, where have you been!”

“Claw…hauser…can’t…breathe.”

Clawhauser released Judy and gave her a quick look over. “O. M. Goodness, you are not wearing that, are you?”

Once Judy gathered her breath, she asked, “What’s wrong with my blouse and slacks?”

“Nothing if this was an office holiday party. Girl, I thought you were professing your undying love to your mammal…!”

“Could you keep your voice down!”

The ZPD’s star officer had never been more embarrassed when the hotel manager asked her to keep her voice down. She then shot Clawhauser a nasty look. 

“What? You can’t go yelling at a fancy hotel.”

Although Judy was a little irritated with her friend, she continued on with their previous conversation. “So, what’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Judy, hon, you need to up your game. It’s winter.”

“I know what season it is. Have you not noticed my extra thick coat?” She subconsciously ran a paw through some of her arm fur. 

She patiently waited until Clawhauser finished chewing on the donut he had brought into the hotel. She started to tap her foot once the cheetah had brought out another donut that seemed to have magically appeared from his jacket.

“Oh, yeah. As I was saying, it’s winter, and that’s the time to strike. For foxes, this is mating season.”

Clawhauser let what he said sink in as he ate his other donut. 

“Mating season? I don’t know about this, Clawhauser. I mean, I wanted to tell Nick how I feel. I didn’t come here to mate with him.”

“Bunny girl, we may be evolved, but nature still calls to us. Why do you think Ms. Kitts has been trying to set Nick up recently?”

“Because she wants her son to be happy in a meaningful relationship?”

“Because she wants grandkits.” 

If Judy was drinking something, she would have spat it out right then and there. 

“Grandkits!” 

She completely ignored the hotel manager as she went on verbal frenzy. 

“Why are we thinking about grandkits? I haven’t even told the mammal I like him, let alone love him, and then _babies!_ Can we even have kittens? I mean, there may be no biological boundaries, so maybe we could have hybrid kittens, but what would they look like? Would they even be viable? Could they have kits? Would they be like mules? Wait, what if Ms. Kitts doesn’t like me? What if she hates that I can’t give Nick kittens or she hates our fobbits or raxes!”

“Slow down, Hopps!” exclaimed Clawhauser as he gave her a gentle shake. “I didn’t tell you that to freak you out. I told you so you would stop going at turtle speed.”

An elderly turtle just happened to be walking to the lobby when the cheetah said that. (She must have been visiting from Reptropolis.) She hmphed and quickened her pace. Despite having a walker, she made good timing. 

“Sorry, ma’am. Aww, isn’t she the cutest little turtle granny. I want to dunk her in my milk.”

“Clawhauser.”

“Oh, right! It’s simple, Little Miss Hopps. You wait for your fox to get here and take him upstairs. Then nature stuff, and poof, you two are happy and mating and all is good with the world until your next case.”

The cheetah seemed to like his answer, because he rewarded himself with another donut. 

_How many of those did he have in there?_

“You make it sound so easy.”

In between bites, Clawhauser answered, “Maybe…you’re making…things…too uneasy.”

“Maybe.” 

Judy continued to worry as her friend ate his fill of donuts. A year ago, the noise Clawhauser made would have annoyed her, but she grew accustomed to his loud eating habits. 

She whispered, “I don’t want him to mate with me because of nature.”

Clawhauser almost choked from trying to swallow three donuts worth of food in one gulp. Judy patted his back. She knew that wouldn’t help the cheetah if he was choking, but she had to do something, especially when most of the guests started to stare at their antics.

“Girl, I’m telling you that nature is NOT the deciding factor here. It may help speed things along, but that boy’s been wanting you. He would follow you down the bunny trail and make like bunnies do. Nick wants to take you down and show you how a predator is in the bedroom…”

“Clawhauser, I love you, but stop talking.”

“The poor guy’s been frustrated for a while now.”

“Please.”

“He could probably use a good tumble.”

“Stop.”

“Not that I’m saying you should sleep together tonight.”

“Talking.”

After every word, Judy’s ears turned a darker shade of pink. She noticed that a few guests were shaking their heads at her while others gave her knowing smirks. 

“I know you bunnies get excited but try to go easy on him though.”

“Wait. Why do you want me to go easy on Nick?”

That shut Clawhauser up. 

“What do you know?”

“I’m sorry, Judy. You may be my girl, but Nick’s my boy. I promised him that I would keep a few things on the down low, and what is Benjamin Clawhauser without his honor? What else does this chubby cat have if no one can trust his word? What is in a name…?”

Judy rolled her eyes. While Clawhauser was spouting his monologue, she stole all the donuts from jacket. It didn’t take long for her friend to realize that his donuts were gone. In a matter of seconds, he gave her the goods.

“Ok! Your boy was a player. There were a few vixens and then…I can’t say the rest.”

He quickly added, “But! I can say that he’s never had a mate before.”

“Hmm, I thought he had more experience than me.”

For once in his life, Benjamin Clawhauser was stunned into silence. Judy was surprised that he was still quiet after she handled him back his donuts. The short stretch of silence made Judy feel a tad awkward, so she started to pull at her scarf. 

“But I thought, well, don’t take this the wrong way, but aren’t you a rabbit?”

“That is a vicious stereotype! All have you know, not every rabbit wants to build a warren and fill it with a hundred kittens.”

“You’re the only one, aren’t you?”

“Pretty much.”

“It’s all good, hon. Anyway, I thought you might come here looking like a corporate lawyer”—he either ignored or didn’t hear her humph—“So, I got you this little number.”

Judy peered into the small bag that Clawhauser pulled out from his jacket. 

“It’s beautiful. I can’t…”

“You can and you will. I already took off the tag, so there’s no take backsies, and I hope it fits.”

Judy couldn’t help the warm fuzzy feeling she was getting in her chest. Nick would have told her, “You bunnies are always so darn emotional,” but she didn’t care. She hugged her dear friend and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You make me proud, Girl. Oh, and since you two are making me seem more scandalous than those Naturalist Club folks”—that was probably more information about Clawhauser than she needed to know—“You should probably use only one of the holiday treats I left in the bag.”

Judy’s cheeks were blazing red after she rummaged through the bag. “Really?”

“Well, you don’t want to fill your warren now, and those things have a knack for busting at the worse times.”

“And _these_?” Judy lifted the slightly open bag, so Clawhauser could see a pair of fluorescent-pink, fuzzy handcuffs.

“I didn’t think you would want to use the ones from work.”

“What kind of bunny do you think I am!”

The cheetah nonchalantly shrugged. “You never know with the goody types.”

Judy chose not to comment on that or ask where Clawhauser got the handcuffs. 

_I thought he wanted me to go easy on Nick._

Against her better judgement, she continued to look through the bag until she found what the cheetah was talking about. 

“That’s actually really sweet.”

“What can I say? I’m a romantic.” 

“I thought I was supposed to give you gifts on your birthday.”

“Please, seeing two of my good friends happy is the best present I could receive.”

“Aww, Clawhauser. Come here!” 

Judy went in for another hug when Clawhauser said, “Plus, I kind of made a bet with a few of the guys, and you getting you’re ‘A’ game on would help me out.”

That comment earned Clawhauser a playful punch from the rabbit. 

“Just saying. Besides, you got this, Bunny girl. Now, go and get changed.”

Judy nodded. She had the same determined look she had when she decided to be a cop despite Gideon Grey’s words. That feisty rabbit strutted to the nearest bathroom with the plastic bag over her shoulder. 

_This is the day I tell Nick._

She checked her watch. Nick would probably be fashionably late, so she had about forty minutes to prepare. It would take five, maybe ten minutes tops, for her to get dressed and reapply her makeup. The rest of the time would be for ordering a pie and getting a ladder.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

It was forty minutes after eight when a snazzy looking Nick Wilde entered the Hotel Figaro. He would have been ten minutes late had he not spent half an hour at the music store. He should have gotten there earlier to beat the holiday rush. He smiled as he thought about what Judy would have told him. 

_‘Who buys CDs anymore,’ huh? Anyway, you know the stores are crazy around this time of year, and everyone wants the new Gazelle album._

Nick had it bad. He took off his ridiculous hat once he walked pass the lobby. It was a green monstrosity with a huge lime green pom-pom on top and blue tassels. Although it embarrassed him to wear the badly knitted hat, he wore the thing every day without fail. He remembered when he complained that his ears always got cold during the winter and the stores never had hats that covered them all the way. (He also remembered that Finnick and Judy made fun of him by saying that maybe no hat could fit his big head.) A week or so later, a triumphant looking Judy gave him a hat after they clocked out. She gave him her sappy bunny eyes as she asked, “Do you like it?” 

_What was I supposed to do after that?_

The fox paused when he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the hallway mirrors. He had to admit that he dressed to impress. He wore a nice green button-up long-sleeved shirt along with a matching tie and a black suit that was personally tailored and designed for him. Mr. Big said, “No expense is too great for the soon-to-be godfather of my first granddaughter.” He may have also mentioned something about not wanting Little Judy’s godfather to look like a common criminal at her ceremony. 

_Oh, the irony._

“Look who decided to show up.”

Nick turned towards the hotel’s restaurant to spy an eleven-foot polar bear wearing a deep blue suit and in comparison, a much smaller white wolf wearing a grey suit.

“Well, ain’t it the force’s two top slackers?”

Officer Alek Nanuq thunderously laughed as he hit Nick’s arm. _Ow!_ “Says the force’s third top slacker!”

“Always with the hitting. Jeeze, it’s dangerous for a guy to be funny around you.”

The polar bear’s partner chuckled before he said, “Easy, Alek. We don’t want poor Nicky to get bruised before some little thing gets the chance to.” 

“Wow, Wolford. With your charm, I’m surprised you haven’t found yourself a mate yet. You too, Big guy.”

Both officers looked more than a tad smug. “Wolford and I are planning on changing that tonight.”

“I can tell. You two rock the whole wearing-a-jacket-with-no-shirt-thing. If the ladies don’t start pawing at you, Clawhauser will.”

They all laughed at that. Nick was glad that these guys had his back. Everyone was all mushy and supportive after Judy gave her speech at his ceremony and laughed when he teased the Chief, but there were more than a few officers that didn’t like him being on the force. When there was a leak at the ZPD, more than a dozen heads turned towards the only fox in the building (along with the mole and the rat that worked down at records). At crime scenes, he was always given suspicious glares, and a few officers straight up asked if he could prove his badge was real. There were also several victims that did not feel comfortable around Nick. They were fine with the rhino or lion, but something about a fox officer raised a red flag.

Alek and Wolford weren’t like that. Alek was a new recruit that was assigned to Wolford six months ago. He wasn’t the only polar bear on the force, but he did have family ties to polar bears that worked for Mr. Big. Not too many family members appreciated his choice of occupation (once they discovered that he was a straight arrow cop), and not too many officers trusted a bear from the wrong side of Tundra Town. Alek knew exactly how hard it was for Nick to prove himself as an officer. As for Wolford, he simply said, “Us canines got to stick together.” 

“So, where’s L’il Bunny?” asked Alek.

Wolford couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease Nick. “Yeah, I’m surprised Fluff isn’t shadowing you when you’re all dolled up.”

‘L’il Bunny’ was Alek’s nickname for Judy when he first met her. He adored how she had to stand on her chair to see the Chief. After a few pool and poker nights, Wolford became more comfortable with the rabbit. She would tease him every time she beat him. “I suppose the wittle wabbit can beat the Big Bad Wolf after all.” Needless to say, he called her ‘Fluff’ to rile her. Judy wasn’t a big fan of nicknames, but she let them slide sometimes. She voiced her fake annoyance one night at the station, and Clawhauser chimed in with his complaints. “Nick can call you Carrots, Alek calls you L’il Bunny, and even Wolford gets a piece of the action, but I can’t call you Bunny girl.” Judy then stopped caring about her nicknames. 

Nick shrugged. “She ran towards the mall, so I figured she had some shopping to do.”

Wolford smirked as he lightly elbowed the fox. “Oh, she did some shopping all right.”

Nick’s jaw almost dropped when he found Judy Hopps standing by Clawhauser. She replaced her lawyer blouse and slacks with one little black classic. The dress was a couple of inches above her knees and had sheer sleeves. It was also tight enough for the fox to make out the shape of her curves. Nick felt a little fuzzy when he noticed that she kept the purple scarf he bought her on. Nick clenched his teeth. Nick must have let out a frustrated growl, because both of his friends started laughing. 

“You should have opted for the no-shirt-thing. It’s one less layer to worry about.” 

Despite how distracted he was, Nick managed to reply to the wolf. “I am a gentlefox, my good cousin.”

“Right, and I’m a sheep in a costume.”

Alek nearly snorted. Wolford probably made some lude comment, but Nick didn’t care. Before he knew it, he was a few feet away from Judy.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
Judy’s heart was thumping louder than her Uncle Thumper on a good day. 

_Where’s Nick?_

She wasn’t the type to just wait and sit idly, so she got out of her seat. Clawhauser must have thought she was trying to make a run for it, because he followed her to the front of the table.

_Really? Like I would give in to my primal instincts to run._

Judy Hopps never backed out of something once she decided to do it. She also never gave up on something she wanted and she wanted Nick. 

“I’m just going to step out and call Nick.”

Clawhauser tried to suppress a giggle. “You don’t have to.”

Judy turned around to find a very handsome Nick Wilde coming her way. His slim figure was more pronounced in the suit Mr. Big bought for him. The fur on the top of his head was slightly ruffled from his hat and she had to say that the look worked for him. She also couldn’t help but notice that his tail was less fluffy than usual. The thought that Nick, the fox who vowed that nothing was worth the torture of taming his tail, brushed it for tonight made the butterflies in her stomach flutter. 

“Happy Birthday, Clawhauser.”

“Thanks, Nick. I’m glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it, pal.”

Clawhauser didn’t miss the wink that Nick gave Judy. Nick cleared his throat as he gave Clawhauser his present. While the cheetah was fawning over the CD and rubbing it in Chief Bogo’s face, the two partners took the opportunity to find seats towards the end of the table.

“You look great, Carrots.” 

“Yeah, well, you don’t look so bad yourself, Slick.”

It might just be wishful thinking, but Judy could have sworn that Nick’s gaze was slightly predatorial. _In a good way._ His sly grin did not help calm her nerves. 

“I bought you a blueberry pie!” Judy wanted to kick herself. 

_Idiot!_

The fox quickly collected himself. “So, where is it?”

Judy gave her partner a coy smile as she said, “It’s upstairs.”

The rabbit felt like a complete fool for doubting Clawhauser when he said, “I wouldn’t have bet donuts on you if I didn’t think the fox was crazy about you.” The way Nick gazed at her made the blood rush to her ears. She was thankful that Clawhauser bought her the dress. It really showed off her figure and thighs. The rabbit hopped off her chair. 

“Follow me.”

Nick barely uttered, “Lead the way.” 

Judy was embarrassed by the way she was acting. She felt like some sleazy heroine from an erotica novel, but her confidence grew when she saw the power she had over Nick. 

_Thank you, dress!_

She then stopped by a secluded doorway towards the end of the hall. 

“Why did you stop?”

Nick followed Judy’s gaze to a piece of mistletoe that was nailed to the doorway’s arch.

“It’s kind of a tradition to kiss someone under the mistletoe.”

The fox smiled as he said, “Who am I to break tradition?”

Within minutes, Judy stood on her tiptoes and pulled Nick by his tie. Before Nick could register what was happening or make some remark about Judy’s lack of patience, her lips were pressed against his. The kiss was sloppy, but the rabbit was persistent to deepen it. 

Nick tried to pull away. “Are you sure…?”

Judy seemed irritated that the kiss was broken. She gave a small jump and started to kiss Nick again. The fox chuckled as his arms wrapped around Judy. Neither of them knew how long they were kissing, but they eventually needed to breathe. They pulled away from each other for only a minute or two. The fox embraced his partner as she panted. 

“That…that was some first kiss.”

Nick raised an eyebrow. “First kiss?”

Judy’s eyes widened. 

_No. No. No! That was supposed to stay in my head._

She forced herself to lift her head. There was a warm glow to Nick’s green eyes as he said, “You know how to make a guy feel special, Hopps.” He held her closer and whispered, “Thanks for picking me.”

The words came easily enough. “I love you.”

Her partner’s back stiffened enough for Judy to worry that she said the wrong thing. Her fears vanquished as quickly as they came. Nick gently cupped her cheeks and kissed her ever so softly.

“I love you too, Judes.”

The fox seemed frustrated when he said, “We can, um, we should take things slow.”

Both of their stomachs growled. 

Judy asked, “Can we still go to the room and eat the pie?”

They both burst into laughing. Judy loved these type of moments with Nick. She couldn’t contain her goofy grin. 

_He loves me. Nicholas P. Wilde said he loves me. Nick could have had any vixen he wanted, and he chose to love me._

She felt giddy as she grabbed Nick’s paw. 

“I suppose I don’t get a say in this.”

“Nope.”

They raced to the room together.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

No one but three mammals noticed that the ZPD’s first rabbit and fox officers were gone. Out of those three mammals, only one of them knew that Officer Hopps and Wilde left the restaurant together and had access to a hotel room. 

“Where did Nicky go?”

Clawhauser’s grin became as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s. “I believe he and Judy are using the room I booked for them.”

“You bought them a room? Damn, you take your bets seriously.”

“I’m always serious when it comes to donuts.”

Clawhauser walked pass Alek and Wolford. “Keep this between us, and I expect two boxes on my desk by Monday afternoon.”

The big cat was quite pleased with himself. He was tired of Nick and Judy’s little game of who’s-going-to-say-it-first. Someone had to make the first move, and if one of them wasn’t going to make it, then he would have to help them gather the courage to confess. He also managed to get paid for his good deeds. Clawhauser rewarded himself with a slice of cake. 

_Happy Birthday to me._

NOTES:  
Hello, everyone! I finally learned how to italicize. I just fixed this chapter along with chapter 2. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello, fellas! Long time no see. Sorry for the wait but here is chapter 2. Only a few days after Nick and Judy get together and trouble is already brewing.

_Monday, December 21st, 12:15 PM._

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN’T MATE WITH HIM!”

“Shhh! Keep it down, Clawhauser.”

“Sorry. What do you mean you didn’t mate with him!”

Judy wanted to bang her head against the desk.

_Did you have to repeat it?_

“Let me get this straight. You confess your love after the classic mistletoe move, and he says that you two should take things slow? It’s freaking fox mating season!”

“Clawhauser!”

She was thankful that the ZPD was dead this afternoon or else she would have a lot of explaining to do. Judy sighed. She and Nick started to fill mountains of paperwork to make sure that once they made their relationship public neither one of them would be transferred to another precinct or given a different partner. 

“So, what did you do Friday night? Don’t tell me you ate pie, talked about your feelings, and cuddled.”

“Well…”

Clawhauser started to squeak so loudly that even the rat down at records heard the cheetah. 

“That is the cutest! You two are so sweet that it hurts. Just don’t tell anyone that you didn’t get lucky.”

Clawhauser started to dig into a box of donuts. “Want one?”

“No, and I’m not going to tell anybody. We want to keep things quiet until the paperwork’s done.”

Judy then quirked an eyebrow. “Who else knows about the room?”

The cheetah then put two donuts in his mouth and mumbled, “Sorry, can’t talk with food in my mouth!”

The rabbit was in no mood to play guessing games. Her neighbors had a holiday party for two that lasted until four in the morning. She and Nick slept through their alarm, missed their bus, and barely made it to their seat before the Chief came in.

“Benjamin Q. Clawhauser, tell me what I want to know or this little beauty”—Judy had a second box of donuts hovering over the trashcan—“gets it.”

Clawhauser gasped. “You don’t have the guts!”

Judy cruelly smiled as she said, “You want to test that theory?” She hit the foot pad to open the lid. 

“Judy, no!”

“I’m giving you until the count of three to sell out your friends before Miss Go Nuts Donuts takes a mighty big fall.” 

“I can’t!”

“One.” She slightly tipped the box.

“No! Please!”

“Two.” She lowered the box closer to the opening of the trashcan.

“Alek and Wolford! That’s all. I swear. Now, don’t hurt her!”

Judy handled the cheetah the box. “Was that so hard?”

As Clawhauser held the box tightly to his chest he said, “You really are evil if you don’t get six hours of sleep. Take a nap or something. Just don’t take it out on my sweets.”

Judy’s ears began to droop. Maybe she went a little too far. “I’m sorry, Clawhauser.”

“Don’t give me those sad bunny eyes. Oh, you know I can’t handle…and now your nose is twitching.” He teasingly added, “Is that how you win with Nick?”

“Please, I don’t need cheap tricks to beat him.”

They laughed for a bit before Judy said, “I am sorry though.”

“It’s all good, hon. I know your relationship means a lot to you. Besides, Chief Bogo would flip if he found out…”

“Found out what?”

Both officers cringed when they heard a familiar deep voice. They slowly turned around to find the Cape buffalo glaring at them with his arms crossed. Without thinking, Judy reached into her jacket. 

“You got us, Sir.” She handed the Chief a CD with a bow on top. “We wanted to surprise you at the station’s party with Gazelle’s new album.”

“Bribery will get you nowhere, Hopps.” He then said in a lower voice, “But I appreciate the gesture.”

Clawhauser wiped some sweat from his brow as Judy counted her lucky stars. 

“Where is Officer Wilde?”

“Nick went to get us some P.F. Fang’s, Sir.” 

_What does he want with Nick?_

“Very well, you’ll have to brief him later. I need you in my office.”

Judy gulped. She followed Chief Bogo away from the front desk. Clawhauser gave her a weak smile and an even weaker thumbs up. Whatever the Chief needed to discuss couldn’t have been good. Once they made it to the Chief’s office, Judy hovered close to the door. She always hated being called in because it made her feel like a kitten being reprimanded by the principal. 

“Sit, Hopps.”

Although the Cape buffalo’s tone was slightly less harsh than usual, Judy was on edge and her mind raced with possibilities for this sudden meeting. 

Could Chief Bogo be concerned with Nick’s performance? The fox did have a “knack” for knowing where criminals may hide or avoid cameras. Did the Chief think our last bust was too sloppy? 

She had to admit that if Nick hadn’t gotten to the jewelry store in time, she may not be here right now. Then her thoughts turned to more recent events. Judy’s eyes widened as she thought, “What if he saw Nick and I go upstairs!”

“It has come to my attention that you and Wilde have become quite close.”

“Close, Sir?”

_He knows. No, wait. This could be about anything. He could just be making an observation…_

Chief Bogo pulled out his reading glasses as he stated, “I also see that Wilde has changed his address to yours.”

 _Sweet cheese and crackers! He knows. No, stay calm, Judy._

“Yes. Nick was in a tight spot financially, and I wanted to help him out.”

He lowered his glasses before saying, “It seems that you have come to trust each other more over these last few months and your relationship has become more than professional, which is why I am asking you both for a favor.”

“Please, Chief don’t…wait, you asking us for a favor?”

The Cape buffalo raised an eyebrow. “That is what I said, Hopps. As you know, things haven’t truly improved after the Nighthowler Case. The prey population, for the most part, is still weary of predators; some are demanding that Mayor Swinton support the Shock Collar Initiative.” 

It suddenly felt like the walls of the cramped office were drawing closer to Judy. She may be optimistic, but she wasn’t naïve enough to think that predators and prey were going to start singing Kumbaya any time soon. She, like every other prey in the city, heard the whispers about the rebirth of the _Praedam venatores_ (Prey upon the Hunters) Movement. Judy remembered her grandparents telling her nightmarish stories of the twisted _Praedam_ Brotherhood. Its members were shrouded in red hooded cloaks as they would lynch top predators, vandalize predator-only businesses, and terrorize any animal with sharp teeth. The first Scarlet Knight, a ram named Nathan Bellford Furrest, said, “We must hunt the predators before they dare hunt us.” 

The Predator Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s crippled the brotherhood, but its ideals remained in Zootopian society. The brotherhood’s swan song was the City Elections of 1972 when Ramuel Furrest ran against the former mayor’s great uncle, Arthur Lionheart. The young Furrest promised a safer Zootopia by forcing every predator to wear shock collars triggered by high levels of adrenaline. Judy could not believe that such a barbaric thing was being considered once more. 

“We can’t let that happen!” Judy stood up on top of the chair when she said, “That would set predator and prey relations back by decades.”

“Easy, Hopps.” Chief Bogo rubbed his temples as he scanned at a few papers on his desk. “This whole initiative has been nothing more than an excuse to spread Praedam propaganda. I’ve already had complaints that a majority of the ZPD are predators. If the collar law passes, most of our finest officers may be forced to resign, and I can only imagine what effect that would have on the city.” 

“Chief, the moment that law passes, I’ll turn in my badge.”

Judy saw the corners of the Chief’s mouth quirk ever so slightly before his stoic mask returned. 

“Then we best make sure it doesn’t pass.”

He cleared his throat before continuing. “I asked you and Wilde to come in so we could discuss a few PR events.”

“With all due respect, Sir, we need more than good PR.” 

“The ZPD is going through all the right channels to fight it, but we need you to help shape the public’s opinion. During the Nighthowler Case, you and Wilde showed that not only can predators and prey work together, but animals from different backgrounds can make a difference. You have debunked stereotypes time and time again. Hopps, you have inspired more prey to defend predator rights, and you paved the way for smaller species to enter the force. Wilde has shown that there is more to foxes and animals we claim are shady. I’ve actually seen foxes and raccoons go to the academy. He has become a hero to those groups.”

Chief Bogo actually allowed himself to smile for a few seconds as he said, “Your platonic relationship has already shown this city—and me—what Zootopia can be.”

Judy felt more than a bit guilty, because she knew her relationship with Nick was far from ‘platonic.’ She still managed to swell up in pride that she and Nick were truly making a difference. For the longest time, her dream had been to make the world a better place by being a cop. Now, she could share that dream with the mammal she loved. 

Before her thoughts drifted more towards Nick, the Chief quickly added, “And if you ever tell anyone what I just said, I will deny it.”

The rabbit looked more than a little smug when she asked, “What? That Nick’s a hero or we changed your view on the world?”

Chief Bogo pointed to the door. “We’re done here.” He looked to his computer screen as he added, “I’ll send you and Wilde an email for the first event.”

Judy was about to leave the office when she paused. “Chief, do you think we can stop it?”

The Cape buffalo sighed before answering. “We’ll try, Hopps. I’ll resign before I have to help collar any of my officers like common beasts.”

The rabbit gave him a weak smile that quickly faded as she closed the door.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Nick had been laughing for a good two minutes. Judy scowled when she stated, “This isn’t funny. I honestly thought he found out.”

“Tell me again. Did he really call me a hero?”

Judy rolled her eyes. “I don’t think your head needs to get any bigger.”

“If my hat hasn’t busted at the seams yet, I don’t think it ever will.” 

The fox and the rabbit were parked outside of Bellaire Elementary, which was about twenty minutes away from Zooniversity Hospital. They had caught a young ferret playing hooky and brought him back to school. After speaking with the principal, a rather handsome rabbit who was on the receiving end of Nick’s glares, the two partners decided to wait at the school until their car warmed up. Judy thought it would be best to tell Nick about the meeting with Chief Bogo before he checked his email on his iPaw. 

“I’m sorry that I had to give Bogo the CD. It was the first thing that popped into my head.”

“Don’t worry about it, Carrots. I’m sure you just wanted to score a few more points with Buffalo Butt.”

The rabbit cheekily grinned. “I don’t need any more points. The Chief adores me.”

Her fox decided to ignore that comment and replied, “Anyway, I can just download it on your laptop.” He quickly added, “Through legal means, of course.”

“Of course.”

They sat in the car for a few more minutes in silence. Judy could tell that Nick was trying to act like the meeting with Chief Bogo didn’t worry him. Even though he was dishing out the same amount of teases, there was a lack of heart in them. His laughter and smirks also seemed a tad forced. Judy wanted to comfort Nick the best she could, but she knew he would want to soldier on until they were off the clock. 

Nick smiled softly as he glanced towards the playground. “I used to be a Bobcat.”

Without thinking, Judy responded by saying, “Like in a past life or something?”

“Like I used to go here.” Nick pointed at the sign saying Bellaire Elementary: Home of the Bobcats. 

“Sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”

Her partner didn’t have to guess what she was thinking when he looked at her furrowed brows. Judy must really be worried because her large incisors started to subconsciously nip at her lower lip. Although Nick thought her gestures and worrying were endearing, he wanted her to forget about the potential law, at least for a few days. It was the holidays after all. 

“The place looks a lot better than when I was a kit. I remember that they were doing construction through all my years here, and there wasn’t a sidewalk. I was literally this”—he gestured to the length between him and Judy—“close to oncoming traffic. Then guess what happens as soon as I go to middle school?”

Judy smiled. “The school got a sidewalk?”

“And a new gym, cafeteria, and auditorium. Back in my day, we had one large room called the gymacafetorium.” 

“Aww, you poor thing. My school couldn’t get away with that. Not with all the bunny families. Could you imagine cramming more than a hundred bunnies in one room?”

“Sounds like a lot of health code violations.”

“No, I sounds like all the other kids are SOL.” 

The two partners started to laugh for a bit. They then spent half an hour telling each other stories from their school days. Judy told Nick a little bit about her friends Mollie, Garret, and Su. (Nick earned a few points when he recalled that they were the ones Gideon Grey took the tickets from.) The fox zipped pass his elementary years at Bellaire and went to his glory days at Moosevelt Middle School. From his stories, twelve-year-old Nick Wilde was quite the conn artist and heartbreaker. The stories then turned to the fox venting (in his own way) about his teachers. 

“Boy, did Mr. Yakety Yak Yak Yak feel sorry he messed with me. Finnick ended up putting a potato in his muffler.”

Judy earnestly tried to hide her snicker and give the pretense of mild shock. “No.” 

“It’s better than what my mother what’ve done. She may be a sweet lady, but you don’t mess with her family. One time, Mr. Rosmarus conveniently ‘didn’t see’ some zebra trip me by the stairs. Mom was pissed. She asked if I wanted her to slash his tires.”

His partner gently smiled. “I think I’d like your mom.”

Nick couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah. You two would be quite the pair. I don’t think the city could survive if you joined forces though.”

“Who knows, maybe we could make Zootopia a better place once we take over the government.”

“It’ll probably take three days since you’ll have an army of your three-hundred siblings.”

“Nick, we’ve been through this. I have two-hundred and seventy-five brothers and sisters.”

“Well, excuse me.”

There was a short pause before Nick asked, “Hey, Carrots, are you heading home for the holidays?”

The question took Judy off guard. “No. My family’s so big that this entire month is full of holiday parties and dinners. My older siblings normally spend the Solstice with their in-laws. We all, well, most of us, spend some days in January together.”

Her ears quirked up. “Why?”

Nick shrugged as he replied, “Just wondering.”

Judy could tell that Nick wanted to ask her something specifically, but he instead said, “Actually, Finnick wanted to know when we could have a Solstice party. I thought I’d check our calendar.”

She knew that that wasn’t what Nick wanted to ask her, but she decided to let it slide. She mockingly opened the calendar app on her phone.

“It’s going to be a tight squeeze. We have Mr. Big’s party in two days, you spend Solstice Eve with your mother, we have the Solstice shift, the ZPD’s party is on the twenty-sixth, I’m meeting Mollie on the twenty-seventh, we have the Ottersons booked for the twenty-ninth, and then we have New Year’s Eve with the guys at the station.”

“Damn. When did we become so popular?”

“I suppose stopping a criminal mastermind has that effect.”

“Bellwether wasn’t much of a mastermind. I mean, we had her monologuing in less than five minutes.” 

Judy was about to reply when there was a sudden tapping on her window. She nearly jotted when she saw the vice principal, a young, wave at them. 

“I’m sorry, Officer Hopps. I saw that you two were still here.”

This was bad. Judy and Nick had been sitting in their car for nearly forty minutes, so they couldn’t use warming the car as an excuse. She feared that the doe would think the two of them were doing more inappropriate things than chatting. Perhaps it was simply because they were alone in the parking lot, and her parents drilled into her head that she should never be in such a situation with a member of the opposite sex. (Her father also told her to tase any boy who asked her to go in the backseat of his car.) 

Without missing a beat, Nick answered, “Sorry, Mrs. Stagfast. The car started stalling, so we figured we would wait until the engine cooled off before heading back.”

Judy quietly exhaled. 

_Thank goodness Nick’s quick on his feet._

“Oh, my. I hope it’s running all right.”

“It should be fine now, ma’am.”

“Officers, before you go, would you mind coming back in? Principal Cottontail and I were on the phone with Chief Bogo about some dates that you may be free to talk to the children.”

All of Judy’s anxiety quickly vanished. Although she was in no hurry to have kittens of her own, she jumped at any opportunity to spend time with kids. Perhaps she adored working with them because they reminded her of when she would watch and play with her younger siblings. She made a mental note to muzzletime with the last dozen since they probably heard that she sent the first three litters gifts already and called Jimmy, Kaleb, Max, Violet, and Riley last week. 

“We’d love to. Come on, Nick.”

As the two partners followed the eager ewe back to Cottontail’s office, Judy silently wondered whether Nick liked children or not. He didn’t seem to be too happy walking through the halls of his old elementary school. She then realized that maybe being here reminded him of the time he wanted to a junior ranger scout or when his mother first became ill. She then tried to think of lighter things. Judy was picturing Nick coming to Bunnyburrow one holiday a year or two from now with dozens of her siblings jumping all over him. She smiled at the thought. One day, her fox would be an honorary Hopps. 

“You sure you don’t want me to wait in the car? I don’t want to cramp your style, Carrots.”

The rabbit made sure Mrs. Stagfast was out of earshot when she said, “Slow down, Slick. Mr, Cottontail wanted to see _us._ ”

Nick mumbled, “I think he only wants to see the ‘u’ in us.”  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The twenty minutes spent inside Principal Cottontail’s cramped office felt like it dragged on for hours. Since Bellaire was Cottontail’s domain, Nick didn’t have any qualms with the white rabbit calling the shots. That was until he saw the film Cottontail wanted to show the kids before introducing Judy and Nick. The film was an outdated cartoon about stranger danger and going to the police for help. Of course, all the dangerous sexual predators, suspicious-looking strangers, and crafty kidnappers were weasels, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes. Nick argued that the film was promoting negative stereotypes. He told Cottontail and Mrs. Stagfast that the ZPD made a recent movie that was more politically correct as well as in tuned with what happens in real life.

“More often than not, the guy that kidnaps and molests children isn’t the creepy weasel or the grungy coyote but the nicely tailored animal asking for help or someone the kids know.”

Mrs. Stagfast wholeheartedly agreed with Nick. She also admitted that the old film had some very inappropriate comments about certain groups. The principal didn’t budge until Judy voiced her concerns. She might have also mentioned that she was in the new movie.

The moment the officers closed the door, Nick started to go on a tirade. He paused when Mrs. Stagfast came to apologize. 

“I’m sorry about Peter. He can be a bit…old-fashioned and set in his ways. But he’ll warm up to you, Officer Wilde.”

“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

The ewe looked around the hallways before replying to the fox. “We were good friends in college. He’s a good rabbit and a decent principal.”

Judy prompted, “But?”

Mrs. Stagfast sighed. “But it takes a while for him to catch up with the rest of the world. This is the twenty-first century after all; rabbits and foxes can be officers, the public is becoming more aware of old biases, and animals of different species can legally get married.”

Nick then asked, “Did Cottontail get his tail twisted at the idea of a sheep and deer getting hitched?”

“Peter didn’t ride the welcome wagon but he’s come to accept me and Fawn. I just wanted to ask if you could be patient with him and give Peter some time to open up.”

Judy could tell Nick wanted do anything but play nice with the principal but he told Mrs. Stagfast that he would be as patient as he could be with Cottontail. 

The partners waved goodbye to the ewe as they headed towards the front doors. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, officers. And please, call me Debbie.”

The short chat with Debbie seemed to have cooled Nick down a bit. Just when Judy was about to ask her fox if he was going to ask for her to spend the Solstice with him, a young raccoon tugged at Nick’s sleeve. 

“Hey, sir. Are you Nicholas Wilde?”

Nick gave a million-dollar-smile as he put on his shades. “The one and only, kid.”

Judy rolled her eyes when the raccoon went through his backpack to get out a few sheets of construction paper. 

“Before you go, could I please get your autograph, Mr. Officer Wilde, Sir?”

“I’ll sign as many sheets of paper you lay in front of me if you cut the ‘sir’.”

“Ok, Mr. Officer Wilde.”

“So who do I make this out to?”

“Reggie, Reggie Coon.”

Judy couldn’t help but think that the scene before her was absolutely adorable. Despite Nick’s current rock star persona, she knew he was earnestly honored he had a fan. He continued to grin as he listened to whatever the raccoon was babbling about. 

Still, for some reason, she could sense that there was something wrong. The rabbit took a closer look at Reggie. She was wondering why he was still wearing his scarf inside when she noticed a piece of a bandage sticking out from a gap in his scarf. She glanced in the direction Reggie came from to see the door to the nurse’s office. Judy felt like she was going to be sick when she also noticed that the raccoon had his mittens on and winced when he bent down to get another pen. 

“Ms. Officer Hopps, could you sign one too? It’s for my sister, Lucy.”

Judy tried to sound cheerful as she asked questions about Lucy so she could make a more personal message. 

“She thinks you’re a hero. I do too, but she says she wants to go to the school you went to. She’s trying real hard.”

The rabbit smiled for a moment. “Tell her to keep it up. Mammoth University would be lucky to have her.” 

Nick turned to Reggie. “And where do you want to go to, champ?”

The smile fell from Reggie’s face in an instance. “Oh, I ain’t smart enough to go there.”

“Who told you that?”

“Well, uh, I didn’t want to go there anyways. I want to go where you went, so, so I can be an officer like you.”

Nick didn’t have the heart to tell the kid that he never actually went to Animalia University. He had Priscilla hack the system so he could fill the requirement of a bachelor’s degree to enter the police academy. 

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Reggie’s eyes begin to water. 

“What is it, Reggie?”

“But…but, I can’t. There’s no room on the force for a no good coon.”

Judy was about to say something, but Nick stopped her. He knew exactly what happened to the poor kid the moment he saw Reggie. He knew all the tricks to hide the bruises and cuts. The fox could only guess the horrible taunts the raccoon received on a daily basis along with the beatings. Nick also knew that if Reggie was going to believe he could make it to the academy, the raccoon had to hear it from a fellow predator that understood him. He knelt right next to Reggie.

“Hey, listen for a second.” Nick sighed before continuing. “I know it’s not easy. Believe me, I do.”

“But you’re Nicholas Wilde! You stopped Bellwether. You saved Zootopia.”

“Yeah, well, before that I was a kit going to Bellaire.”

Reggie’s eyes became as large as saucers. “You went to my school?”

“Technically you’re going to my school, but that’s beside the point. You see, I was little and had a dream once.”

“And let me guess, you worked really hard and it came true?”

“No, kid. I gave up. There was a group of animals who told me I needed a muzzle and I couldn’t be trusted because I was a fox. After hearing that every day (and getting my ass—tail handed to me a few times) I started to believe them. I became exactly what they told me I was: a shifty fox that no one could count on.”

“Then how did you become a officer?” 

“Someone believed I was something more. That person promised to stay by side and gave me a new dream. Now, Reggie, you and I both know that Zootopia ain’t perfect.”

Nick went into his wallet. Judy’s eyes glistened when she saw her fox pull out the Jr. Detective sticker from their first case. He handed it to the raccoon. 

“But we can try to make it a better place.”

Reggie skeptically took the sticker. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I believe in you, kid. I promise I’ll stick by you, but I’m not going to hold your paw when you get to the academy.”

Before Nick knew it, his knees were being squeezed by a little raccoon. The fox was awkwardly stiff for a few moments. Despite living with Judy for months, he still wasn’t used to receiving physical affection from animals other than his mother. When Reggie could no longer contain his tears, Nick’s arms naturally wrapped around the little raccoon. Judy then started to tear up. 

She didn’t see Nick mouth ‘emotional.’ She felt a vibration from her pocket and saw that her Uncle Thumper had texted her. Her eyes then grew wide after reading his message. 

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT A CERTAIN FOX. 

 

NOTES:  
Yes! I couldn’t help adding a scene with a cute little kid. At first, I wanted them to do a PR event at the hospital, but the scene kept falling flat. I like the whole school thing better. Maybe I will have a few scenes at the hospital. Like a reading event or a toy drive? Let me know what you guys think. I’m open to suggestions. 

I know my summary made this story seem action-packed and there will be plenty of that and angst later. Right now, I want to build up our leading couple and throw some small hurtles at them, so when shit hits the fan, they can be a strong, united force. 

In the next chapter, you guys will find out what happened at the school thing and what Uncle Thumper knows.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I finally posted this chapter. Things at the school get heated, someone ends up in the ER, and Judy almost got out of seeing Uncle Thumper.

Nick last minutely decided against kicking the door open. He had no idea what was happening, but the fact that he heard more than a dozen cries for help from a few hallways down made him fear the worse. He wished Judy was by his side to calm his nerves and tell him that the kids were most likely safe. But she wasn’t. She was probably still with Cottontail.

Once he opened the door, he was greeted by the cries of thirty kindergarteners. All the children were screaming bloody murder while madly jumping on top of their tables as if the room was filling up with water. Their poor teacher was standing in the center of the chaos. As she tried to calm the chorus of panicked shrieks, Nicholas Wilde wondered how he ended up in this situation.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Nick was far from amused by Cottontail doting on Judy. If he heard Cottontail ask his (hopefully) soon-to-be mate, “Are you sure you don’t want coffee? Water? Anything?” or tell her, “It’s no problem at all, Officer Hopps. My pleasure actually,” one more time, he was going to push the white rabbit down a hole. 

At first, he thought the principal was being polite, but then Cottontail started short-wording Nick, and soon after that, he started to ignore the fox all together. The only time Nick got a response was when he gave Cottontail a few toothy grins that showed enough of his fangs. He wanted to send the principal the message of, “your paw is lingering there too long for my liking.”

Debbie whispered to the fox after Judy’s presentation, “If I had a shot for every move Peter made on your partner in the past hour, I’d have alcohol poisoning.” 

“Glad I’m not the only one who saw pass Cottontail’s fanboy routine.”

The principal patted Judy on the back once she stepped off the stage. Nick nearly growled when he saw that the principal’s paw was still on her back after a few minutes. Debbie merely smiled as she shook her head. 

“You got it real bad.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Nick as he continued to glare at the white rabbit. 

Debbie laughed a little. “Doesn’t this takes me back? I remember how Fawn would scare anyone who so much as looked in my direction for more than five minutes. And that was long before we were mates.”

Nick hadn’t meant to reply, but he ended up mumbling, “We’re not mates yet.”

Once Nick registered what he just admitted to, the tips of his ears turned a bright red color. The connotation of being someone’s mate varied from species to species, but it normally implied a far more intimate relationship. This was not a subject to discuss around children. He was also rather surprised that he confided in Debbie. He normally would keep a calm façade while seething on the inside until he boiled over. Spending time with Judy must have helped him open up more to people (or made him more emotional). Another thought then occurred to Nick. 

“Could we keep this between us? We, we’re trying to be…”

“Discrete?” The ewe smiled. She then made a motion to zip her lips. “I completely understand. It’s not easy having an office romance.”

Nick felt like he reached his limit for sharing, so he merely nodded in response. They stood in a comfortable silence until the two rabbits joined them. Cottontail briefly mentioned showing the film on stranger danger. Debbie chimed in by saying how both partners would then answer any questions the kids had. The rabbit then said he had to go to his office and left the officers with Debbie. The moment he left, Nick’s mood instantly improved. 

After the film, a dozen hands were raised, and Judy’s ears drooped when all of them were for asking to go to the bathroom. Nick smiled and got lost in watching Judy’s reactions to the kids. He noticed the way her ears twitched and perked up when a kid asked a question, the way her facial expressions softened when one of them asked an adorable question, and the way she intently listened to everything. 

“But what if it’s my favorite candy?”

The fox couldn’t help but chuckle. Judy’s eye twitched a bit as she repeated for the sixth time that children should never accept any candy from strangers. Before the little cub opened his mouth again, she said that Harvest Night was the exception. 

As the children continued to ask questions, Nick thought that Judy would make an excellent mother. The slight grin on his face vanished in a matter of seconds. He knew they couldn’t have kits of their own. He heaved a dramatic sigh, because he knew there was no point in arguing with science. His thoughts made another dark turn when he wondered about all the other things Judy couldn’t have with him. 

_I know we can’t have our own, but could we even adopt? Would adoption agencies care about us not being the same species? Would it be harder because I’m a predator and she’s prey?_

His eyes widened when he realized their biological differences may lead to other problems. 

_Could we even...wait, does she know about knotting? I doubt that since she’s from the Burrows. Is she even interested? There are animals who aren’t into it. I’m not going to lie, I would prefer to have sex. It’s a miracle I’ve lasted this long after seeing that plushy tail shake every morning, but I’m not going to force her._

_Hey, what if she doesn’t want to because she’s scared? Yeah, I know why she flinched at the press conference, but I still can’t get her reaction out of my head. When she finds out about the knot, will she freak? Or be grossed out? Will we ever mate?_

Nick snapped himself out of his derailed train of thought. He was starting to overthink things and worry as much as Judy. Speaking of the bunny, after she said her goodbyes to the children, she turned towards Nick with a worried expression.

“Hey, was anybody home up there, Slick? You didn’t say much.”

The partners stepped into the hallway. They heard Debbie and the teachers tell the children to stay in their respective rows and wait until they were called to get up. While waiting for Debbie, the fox calmed himself. He gave Judy his signature smirk when he said, “That’s just because I thought you could handle the curveball questions, Carrots. So, can I accept candy if it’s the real good stuff?”

His comment earned a playful punch from his partner. Before Nick could say, “Ow!” Judy asked, “And what do you consider ‘the real good stuff’?”

She sheepishly added, “We’ve known each other for over a year, and I still don’t know what your favorite candy is.”

Nick wished she hadn’t subconsciously tugged her left ear towards her face and twisted it a little bit like some high school doe twirling her fur when talking to a crush. He wanted to tell Judy how adorable she was, but he knew she’d say, “Don’t you dare call me cute,” so he settled by answering, “You.”

His reply caught Judy by surprise. She quirked an ear up and asked, “What?”

The fox stepped closer towards her and leaned to where the tip of his snout was a few inches away from her face. Judy didn’t know what to do. She stood still as he said in a low voice, “ _You_ are the real good stuff.” 

Judy squirmed as her ears turned red. She blushed when the fox eyed her. He was so close that Judy could practically inhale his musk. Alek and Finnick always teased Nick for his smell, but she found it intoxicating. It was all too much. 

“Ni-iiick! The kids…this…this isn’t the place and…we’re on the clock!”

Nick gave her a confident smirk. He moved even closer into Judy’s space. His head hoovered just above her ear as he whispered, “And when we’re not on the clock?”

The rabbit looked up to Nick’s face. Although his lids were half-closed, she could see that his pupils were dilated. All the playfulness from earlier was gone. She could see the primal wanting in Nick’s eyes, but she could also sense something else. In Nick’s predatorial gaze, she saw an ounce of a darker emotion. The minutes continued to pass by. Judy soon realized she hadn’t answered Nick. The bunny could tell he was becoming more hesitant. He stood up straight and took a step backwards. He didn’t make eye contact with her and forced a smile.

“Don’t take me so seriously, Judes. Jeeze. I was just teasing you.”

Judy’s heart was thumping painfully against her chest. This wasn’t the same hammering from when Nick told her she was “the real good stuff.” She then grasped that even though Nick was in a dominant stance earlier, he was scared of her. Judy shook her head. It was ridiculous to think that a predator, especially one as strong-willed as Nick, would be frightened of a little rabbit. 

_But then why is Nick trying to get away from me?_

Her partner moved farther away from her when they heard the doors to the auditorium open. Debbie warmly greeted the partners and hugged Judy. The ewe paused when she got to the fox. She quickly decided to shake Nick’s paw vigorously instead. Debbie probably gathered from their earlier conservation that he wasn’t the effusive type. 

“Thank you so much for speaking with the children, officers. We greatly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedules.”

Nick was about to reply to Debbie when Cottontail rushed to the auditorium doors. Judy noticed that Nick’s arms tensed as the principal stepped closer to her. The fox gave a polite smile to Cottontail, but Judy knew better than to trust Nick’s calm demeanor. She knew from experience that the only thing scarier than a pissed off Nicholas Wilde was a polite one. There was no doubt he could pounce (verbally or literally) at any moment. 

“I’m glad I didn’t miss you, Miss Hopps.”

“Officer Hopps,” Nick corrected. He gave Cottontail a toothy grin as he asked, “Was there something you needed to talk about with _my_ partner?” 

The three other mammals in the hallway didn’t miss how Nick said, “my partner.” Cottontail swallowed and looked more than a tad ruffled. He quickly gained his composure when Judy cleared her throat.

“Was there something you needed, Principal Cottontail?”

“Oh, you can call me Peter, Officer Hopps.”

It was killing Nick not to say anything, especially after Judy said, “In that case, you can call me Judy.”

Cottontail’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Judy. Well, Judy, I was wondering if you would have time to discuss the dates for a few more presentations.” 

“Peter, we would love to talk to the kids again, but we shouldn’t set any dates without speaking with Chief Bogo.”

“Of course, but…”

Nick quickly cut him off. “Sorry, Mr. Cottontail, but as my partner already stated, we cannot set any dates at this time, and we have a lot of work to catch up on.” 

He added with some dramatic flair, “It ain’t easy keeping this fair city safe.” 

Cottontail smile lacked any warmth when he replied, “I’m sure Zootopia will not crumble if you spare a few minutes. Besides dates, I also wanted to tell Judy a few ideas I had for the next presentations.”

The fox kept his paw at his side and made a fist. The white rabbit didn’t know when to quit. Poor Debbie stood awkwardly next to Judy and said to Cottontail, “Perhaps we should all step into your office and talk.”

“I wouldn’t want to take up both officers’ time. After all, you have a lot of work to do.”

Nick wanted to argue with Cottontail, but he could see that Judy was uncomfortable. He sighed. 

“I suppose you have a point. I’ll see you back at the station, Judes.”

Judy tried calling after Nick, but the fox was too fast. Before she knew it, he already turned into another hallway. When he was out of Judy’s sight, he put his back against a wall and mumbled, “Why don’t I find a nice hole for that damn rabbit while I wait?”  
*-*-*-*-*-*

Judy followed Debbie and Cottontail to his office. She nodded at whatever they were saying, but she stopped paying attention to their discussion a few minutes after Nick left. Despite feeling awful for hurting him earlier, she was irritated with the fox. She couldn’t understand why he was so jealous of Cottontail.

_He knows I love him. I told him that. I even admitted he was my first kiss. There’s no reason for Nick to have doubts about us…Wait. What are we?_

In that moment, Judy realized she didn’t know what she and Nick had. She rolled her eyes at herself. She knew they loved each other and they were more than friends. Despite being new to dating and just beginning her relationship with Nick, Judy was certain that she would never love anyone as much as she loved her fox. She decided awhile back that she was going to spend the rest of her life with that dumb fox. 

The problem was she didn’t want to wait to make their relationship official. She couldn’t wait for the paperwork to done, so she could hold Nick’s paw out in public without the fear of running into one of the guys on the force or a reporter. She wanted to be able to tell Clawhauser things by his desk freely and gush about their boyfriends before she clocked-in. Judy also longed to be more than Nick’s girlfriend. She could hold off on being Mrs. Wilde (or having Nick be Mr. Hopps), but she couldn’t stand waiting to be his mate. 

Judy wasn’t really a dumb bunny (despite what Nick might say). She knew very well what her partner wanted back in the hallway, but they didn’t want to move too fast. 

_Nick wants to keep things slow. It’s fox mating season, so maybe that’s why he brought up sex._

Judy wanted to bang her head against the wall. Those two thoughts were completely contradictory. There was no way they could go slow while having sex. 

She thought back to the day when she confessed to Nick. He was caught off guard the moment she said, “I love you,” even though they had kissed a few minutes prior. Judy supposed that physical affection didn’t mean the same to foxes as it did for rabbits. Perhaps, having sex also meant something different to foxes. 

She knew that sex had a unique importance across different species of animals. Traditionally, male lions had multiple mates, and nowadays, a male might have an open marriage. For lions, being someone’s mate just meant having sex and maybe kids with that mammal; it actually means more to be called someone’s spouse or girlfriend than mate. Then, there are animals, like cranes, who mate for life. Males may go through a few girlfriends before getting married and having sex. Rabbits aren’t nearly as devoted to their partners as cranes, but they are a pretty monogamous bunch. If Judy mated with Nick, she was going to feel like she was as good as being Mrs. Wilde. 

Judy didn’t know if Nick wanted to feel the same way, at least right now. She trusted Nick to be faithful to her and stay for the long haul, but she didn’t want to rush Nick or make him feel pressured to show more commitment so early in their relationship. A new thought then popped into Judy’s head. 

_We’ve been together for a few days and nothing has changed!_

Judy realized that they cuddled more at their apartment, but Nick still slept on his futon. They were both tired after work on Monday, so they skipped eating pie at a little hole-in-wall diner where Nick’s mom used to work at. Instead, they ate microwavable dinners, watched half of a movie, called their parents, and showered (separately despite Nick’s arguments about helping the environment). They basically did their old routine. 

_Dumb bunny, no wonder Nick’s jealous. You haven’t given him any reason to think you’re serious._

Judy started to devise a plan that involved a certain futon, whipped cream, green lingerie, and a purple sweater dress she knew would have Nick drooling (because Clawhauser bought it for her for that very purpose). She barely thought of a reason to get Nick out of the apartment for a while when Debbie said, “I’ll be back in two shakes.”

The rabbit shook her head. She couldn’t believe she had time to freak out, have an epiphany, and form a plot during the few minutes it took for her and the principals to reach Cottontail’s office. Judy shrugged a little. She always was a fast thinker. 

Once the door closed behind Debbie, Cottontail offered Judy a seat and once more asked if she wanted anything to drink. After she declined his offers, Cottontail nervously cleared his throat. It took him a minute or two to ask his question. 

“Um, Judy, when do you usually have a lunch break?”

Judy wasn’t expecting that question. “It depends. Nick and I try to have lunch around noon or one, but that rarely happens.”

She didn’t miss the face Cottontail made when she mentioned her partner. 

“Do you always have lunch with Officer Wilde?”

Without any hesitation, Judy answered, “Yes.”

Her reply disappointed Cottontail, but he continued on. “Well, perhaps I could steal you for one afternoon. Of course, whenever you’re not too busy and at a time that’s most convenient for you.”

Judy wanted to kick herself. Maybe there was another reason why Nick was jealous of the principal. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she thought about the face Nick would make after saying, “You barely caught onto Cottontail. Aren’t you a natural Nancy Shrew?” She smiled softly. 

_He would say something like that._

Her smile faded when she faced the principal. 

“I’m sorry, Peter, but I can’t go on a date with...”

“It doesn’t have to be a date. We could start off slow. If lunch’s too fast, then what about going to get a cup of tea? Stu said you love drinking tea with carrot cake.”

“Wait. How do you know my dad?”

Cottontail sheepishly replied, “My father was best friends with Stu’s third older brother’s wife’s cousin.” 

Judy heaved a sigh. “Of course he was.”

“You know how bunnies are. Anyway, Stu heard that I live in Zootopia, and he said I should meet you.”

“I’m going to stop you right there. I have no intentions on settling down any time soon.” 

She silently added, “Especially with some bunny my dad doesn’t know yet set me up with.”

Cottontail’s eyes grew wide. “Settling down? Judy, those aren’t my intentions.” 

He quickly added after thinking about what he said, “Not that I wouldn’t want to marry you! I’m not asking for some casual fling. But I don’t want anything serious either. I just want one outing. See? We don’t even have to call it a date.”

Judy rubbed her eyes. She was really regretting not having another cup of tea this morning. Maybe she should add a little kick to her tea when she got home. Judy tried letting Cottontail down easy. 

“Peter, you seem like a nice buck but…”

“And you seem like an intelligent, funny, and sweet doe. That’s why I want to ask you to lunch. To be honest, I wasn’t interested two weeks ago. I was going to throw away your number yesterday, but then you came to my office and I actually met you. So, here we are.”

Cottontail took a deep breath. He ruffled the fur on the top of his head as he said, “I know I’m doing this all wrong, but I think us meeting was a good thing. All I’m asking for is a chance to get to know you.”

Scratch the little kick. She was thinking of mixing the whole damn bottle with her tea. Judy wanted to shout three things. One, she wanted to tell her father that he should not be giving any animal her personal information. Cottontail didn’t look like a serial killer or a stalker, but one can never be too careful. Two, she wanted to tell Cottontail that their meeting was not a work of destiny. Life isn’t like some sappy romcom. Three, she wanted to tell both of them that she is not interested in dating any bucks, because she is already happy with her fox. 

Instead of saying any of those things, Judy said flatly, “I have a boyfriend.”

“Pardon?”

Judy wanted to hit herself upside the head when she saw how shocked and hurt Cottontail looked in that moment. She had little experience with confessions and love, but she knew there were better ways of handling this situation. 

“I’m really sorry. I was trying to tell you earlier.”

“Stu didn’t mention any other bucks in picture.”

“Uh, you see, we recently started dating.” 

Judy didn’t want to give Cottontail any false hope, so she added, “But we’ve been friends for a long time, and it was only a matter of time before we got together.”

“Ah, so it’s serious.”

Both of them stood in an awkward silence until Cottontail asked, “Does your partner know about your boyfriend?”

With a nervous smile Judy replied, “You can say that.”

“Hmm. Officer Wilde seems to be very… _protective_ of you.”

Judy didn’t like where this was going. “He’s my partner; it comes with the territory.”

Cottontail shook his head. “It’s more than that.”

He quickly looked around and said in a low voice, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but I think he might…”

With a look of disgust, Cottontail finished his sentence. “I believe Officer Wilde might have feelings for you.”

Any guilt Judy felt vanished in an instance. “What do you mean by that?”

“You know, _feelings _? Like he wants to be more than friends with you.”__

__She was close to making a face pomp when she said, “I know that. I’m asking what’s the problem if Nick has feelings for me.”_ _

__Her reply took Cottontail aback. “Well, for one thing, you have a boyfriend. And, you know, Judy. It would be odd to see you with one of those mammals.”_ _

“One of _those_ mammals?” 

__Judy unknowingly clenched her fists and kicked Cottontail’s desk when she swung her leg off her lap. Cottontail flinched from her sudden change in movement._ _

__“Judy, I didn’t mean to offend you…”_ _

__“But it’s all right for you to offend my partner!”_ _

__This time Judy flinched. She was surprised by how incensed she was. Her paws started to shake a little as she thought about how this pompous buck was insulting her almost mate._ _

__Cottontail took in a deep breath and rubbed his temples. “I’m really making a mess of things. Look, he seems like a decent officer, but he’s a fox. Growing up in the Burrows, you should know what they’re like. I just can’t picture you with one of them.”_ _

__Every word was another weight placed on the fragile bridge of Judy’s patience. Before the bridge collapsed, she had to leave the office. She began to walk towards the door without a glance back at Cottontail._ _

__“You can contact Clawhauser to set up an appointment, either in person or over the phone, with Chief Bogo.”_ _

__She forced a polite smile when she said, “I will see you when more dates have been set up.”_ _

__“Judy, wait!”_ _

__“Let go of my paw.”_ _

__Cottontail quickly released her. It could have been due to her glare or he hadn’t realized that he reached for her. Either way, Judy didn’t care. She just wanted to leave and find Nick._ _

__“Please, let’s not end today on a sour note. I know you are seeing someone, but I’d like to still be friends.”_ _

__Even though she knew she was going to regret it, Judy turned to face the buck. His ears were dropped behind his head, and his blue eyes were large and pleading. She stared at his eyes for a moment._ _

__She didn’t feel a thing._ _

__“What do you say?”_ _

__Judy sighed. “I want to give you a chance, but I feel like if I told you something, you would prove me right.”_ _

__“I don’t follow.”_ _

__“Peter, I’m dating Nick.”_ _

__There was a long pause._ _

__“That’s not funny, Judy.”_ _

__“It’s the truth.”_ _

__“Then, why didn’t you say so earlier? Are you trying to keep it a secret? Or, could it be that, are you experimenting?”_ _

__“For the love of Serendipity! This is not some phase. I love Nick, and I’m not ashamed of him if that’s what you’re hoping for. We’re actually planning on going public with our relationship soon.”_ _

__Just as Judy predicted, Cottontail scowled as he said, “I see. I believe we are no longer in need of your and Officer Wilde’s… _influence_ here. I will ask Chief Bogo for someone else to speak to the children.”_ _

__“Don’t bother.”_ _

__Both rabbits turned towards the door to see a fuming Debbie._ _

__“Peter, I have put up with a lot of your nonsense over the years, because I hoped…it doesn’t matter. What you are saying, do you even hear what comes out of your mouth, is just, I don’t have any words to describe it.”_ _

__“Debbie, you know why…”_ _

__“It was years ago, and you can’t blame Officer Wilde for what happened.”_ _

__Judy’s head kept turning between the rabbit and ewe. She wished she knew what they were talking about. She also wished she wasn’t awkwardly standing in the middle of their spat._ _

__“This goes beyond that. You can’t tell me you’re fine with, with their, it’s not natural.”_ _

__The ewe shook her head. “You make so…so crossed!”_ _

__She mentally counted to ten before saying, “You can be a real, pardon my language, piece of cud sometimes. Now, I think this whole situation could get a lot more serious if Officer Hopps reports your behavior.”_ _

__If Nick were here, he would undoubtedly smirk at how pale the already white rabbit had gotten. Judy couldn’t help but smile at Debbie, when she continued by saying, “Discrimination charges are a mighty nasty business to deal with, Peter, and I think it would be easier if you make these nice officers feel more welcomed.”_ _

__Without waiting for Cottontail to reply, Debbie turned to Judy and asked, “May I walk you to the front, Officer Hopps?”_ _

__“Thank you, and call me Judy.”_ _

__The ewe gave Judy a warm smile that would melt a snowbunny while they exited the office. Both females were happy to be away from a certain white rabbit, but Debbie still looked miffed. She started to fidget with the ends of her cardigan._ _

__“I’m so sorry you had to hear all that, Judy. You and Officer Wilde look like good folk, and you make such a cute couple.”_ _

__Out of habit, Judy glared at the word “cute,” but she let it slide. So far, the only animals allowed to call her cute were Clawhauser, Fru fru, and now Debbie._ _

__“You wouldn’t happen to be from Deerbrooke, would you?”_ _

__Debbie blushed beautifully as she pretended to clean her glasses. “You caught that? My accent comes out when I’m really…”_ _

__“Crossed?”_ _

__Both females spurted out a laugh._ _

__“Did I say that? I guess it just proves that you can’t take the Deerbrooke out of somebody.”_ _

__Judy was about to comment about how she couldn’t get rid of the Bunnyburrow inside of her when her ears perked up. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screaming children. Driven by instinct, Judy raced to the origins of the screams. Her ear twitched when she heard Nick yell, “Help!”_ _

__Without thinking, Judy barged into the classroom. Her ears instantly drooped from relief when she saw Nick surrounded by thirty kindergarteners. They were all trying to hug him at the same time. He valiantly tried not to tear up when five or six of the little kits stepped on his tail. The fox asked something but Judy couldn’t hear him. The children kept shouting, “You saved us,” “You’re a hero,” and “Thank you.”_ _

__Debbie walked over to a young border collie in a sweater dress. “Miss Canis, what happened?”_ _

__The teacher tried to hide her embarrassment. “I accidently scared the children. Two centipedes fell from the light fixers and…it happened so suddenly that I might have screamed. Before I could gather my wits and pick them up, the kids panicked.”_ _

__Judy smiled. “And let me guess, our fearless fox came to the rescue and got rid of the centipedes.”_ _

__Debbie shook her head. “This is the third time this happened. I told Peter we should hire a professional instead of his second cousin.”_ _

__While Debbie and Miss Canis talked about the centipede situation, Judy helped free Nick from the horde of cuteness. The process took longer than Judy expected. Some of the kids proved to be just as stubborn as her, which is saying something. After another five minutes, she pried the last one from the fox’s poor, limp tail._ _

__“Thanks, Carrots. I was afraid we were going to have to get a crowbar.”_ _

__“Don’t thank me just yet. I’m afraid we might have to go to the hospital.”_ _

__Nick nearly flinched. “I think you’re overeating.”_ _

__Judy had an unimpressed look as he failed to lift up his tail._ _

__“It’s probably just asleep.”_ _

__“Nick, I don’t think it’s supposed to be bent in that direction.”_ _

__“It’s an independent tail and go in any which way it wants.”_ _

__Judy rolled her eyes as she led Nick towards the door. After they said their goodbyes to Debbie, Miss Canis, and the kids, the partners were met with an awkward silence. It didn’t help that Nick’s soft whimpers were echoing in the empty hallway and he refused her offers to help carry his tail._ _

__“That does it!”_ _

__Nick jolted at Judy’s sudden exclamation. She told him to stay put before she went down the hall. Within a few minutes, she returned with a yard stick and a few bandages._ _

__“I got these from the nurse’s office. You need to keep your tail straight. I once jammed my paw and two of my digits are a bit crooked because I was too stubborn to get help.”_ _

__Nick didn’t know if Judy was telling him this to distract him from the pain or if she was trying to fill the silence. He found that he didn’t care. He was just happy she wanted to talk to him. The fox was about to apologize for making things weird between them after the presentation, but he stopped when Judy called the ZPD. Judy, ever the responsible one, wanted to let Chief Bogo know they were going to the hospital._ _

__“The Chief is giving us the rest of the day off.”_ _

__“I guess he figured you wouldn’t want to leave me alone and defenseless in the ER.”_ _

__Judy snorted. “Oh, yes, because you need a bunny to protect you.”_ _

__“There’s no one else I rather have in my corner.”_ _

__The partners smiled at each other. Nick reached for Judy’s paw. Her paw was so much smaller than Nick’s yet it seemed to fit perfectly. His entire paw could wrap around hers. It made her feel oddly warm and secure. She pulled her fox into a quick embrace. Before she could pull away from him, he held her a little more firmly and rubbed his snout against her cheek._ _

__“Five more minutes.”_ _

__“You’re such a sappy fox.”_ _

__“You know you love it.”_ _

__I MESSED UP TONIGHT. I LOST ANOTHER FIGHT…_ _

__Judy jumped away from Nick as she scrambled to get her phone._ _

__She hissed, “Nick! Did you mess with my ringtone?”_ _

__“Wow. Blame the fox. I thought the Otterton boys were playing with your phone last week.”_ _

__Judy quickly hushed Nick when she saw who was calling._ _

__“Hello? Uncle Thumper? Wait. You’re going to be late?”_ _

__She wanted to bang her head against a wall._ _

__“Of course, I haven’t forgotten about our lunch date. But I’m going to have to cancel. Something came up at work and…I’m fine! It’s my partner. Yes, he’s the fox.”_ _

__Nick’s ears perked up at that. “Hey, Carrots. You can go to your lunch thing.”_ _

__The rabbit moved the phone away from her and whispered, “We can do it another day.”_ _

__“I don’t want to mess with your family plans, and I’m a big boy.”_ _

__Before Judy could reply, Nick took her phone and said, “Hello, Sir. Yes. I think she’s overreacting. Judy will be there. She was just going to drop me off at Zoouniversity Hospital. It’s probably a sprain. Thank you. All right. Bye.”_ _

__Nick handed Judy her phone. “Was that so hard?”_ _

__“Nick...”_ _

__“It’s all good, Judes. Just drop me off and leave me in my time of need.”_ _

__He quickly added, “I’m kidding!”_ _

__Somehow that only made Judy feel worse.  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*_ _

__Judy sat in the corner booth of her Uncle’s favorite café. Usually the cute carrot-printed curtains and country décor would make her feel at home, but it only further dampened her mood._ _

_So much for my plan._

She was going to get rid of her rickety bed (the thing was just taking up too much space anyway) and ask Nick to make up some story about how it met its untimely demise to the lady in charge of the apartment complex. She would then get dolled up and have the left-over blueberry pie with whipped cream ready for her fox. 

_In case Nick had something else in mind for dessert, well, that’s what the lingerie was for._

Judy sighed. _Now, my poor fox is stuck at the ER and I didn’t get a chance to explain myself. And to top it all off, my uncle left a very vague text about needing to talk about Nick. I wonder what’s this all about?_

__Judy’s ear twitched when she heard someone approach her booth. She smiled when she saw a grey buck in a green tweed suit. Eddie Thumps was by far her favorite relative on her mother’s side. Despite being her great uncle, he would often play cops and robbers with Judy. He was also the only family member who was happy she got assigned to Zootopia’s center. Uncle Thumper told Judy that he and his husband had been talking about moving to Zootopia and her placement just sealed the deal._ _

__“Uncle Thumper, it’s so good to see you.”_ _

__“Same here, Jude bug. But I wish it was under better circumstances. You know, Kiddo, I won’t be mad if you ditched this old buck.”_ _

__Judy shook her head. “Nick called me a few minutes ago and said our friend, Finnick, is with him, so I should just enjoy our lunch.”_ _

__“I can tell you’re worried; your ears are all droopy.”_ _

__The older buck pulled out a menu and said, “Why don’t we go to the hospital after ordering something to-go for your boyfriend?”_ _

__The doe’s ears shot straight up. “Boyfriend?”_ _

__Uncle Thumper raised an eyebrow. “Was it supposed to be a secret? You talk about him every time you call and muzzletime the family.”_ _

__The old buck’s nose twitched. “And you smell like a fox.”_ _

__He chuckled when the tips of Judy’s ears started to pink._ _

__“It’s not, we haven’t, we just live together.”_ _

__Uncle Thumper smiled. “For how long?”_ _

__“About three months.”_ _

__Her uncle’s smile only grew. “Your mother owes me twenty bucks.”_ _

__“Wait. Mom knows about Nick?”_ _

__“Yep. Bonnaroo was the first one to suspect you carried a torch for him. Which is kind of sad since I see you more often.”_ _

__He gave Judy a leveled look. “You should visit home more often. Your mother says she can only call you because your weefee—Wi-Fi?—whatever the hek it is, isn’t working. Now thinking about it, that was a few months ago…Oh, Jude bug, you sly bunny! You didn’t want your parents to see a certain fox in your burrow.”_ _

Her ears were as red as a tomato. _Why did he have to word it like that?_

__

__“I’ll talk to Nick about coming down in January.”_ _

__

__Judy bit down on her lip. “Dad doesn’t know.”_ _

__

__It wasn’t a question. Uncle Thumper avoided Judy’s gaze for a moment. He then sighed._ _

__

__“I love Stu, but the buck’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”_ _

__

__The old buck touched Judy’s shoulder. “He’ll come around. He didn’t understand why I married Elliot after your Aunt Rose died, but look at them now. Stu even named a kid after him.”_ _

__

__“Uncle Thumper, are you and Mom really fine with me dating Nick?”_ _

__

__“We haven’t met him yet, but you trust him and that’s enough for us to give him a shot. Besides, nothing we say could ever stop you from doing what you want to.”_ _

__

__Judy was absolutely touched. In a quiet voice she said, “Thank you.”_ _

__

__“You know we want you to be happy, right?”_ _

__

__“I am happy. Uncle Thumper, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before, and you’ll love Nick. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he’s great with kids and so sweet. He’s also loyal to a fault. He was the only one that stood by me during the whole Nighthowler Case and…I never want to leave his side.”_ _

__

__The old buck’s eyes glistened. “Judy, you listen here. If that fox is as special as you say he is, don’t let him forget it. Remind him every day how much he means to you.”_ _

__

__“You never know how long you will have each other,” he whispered._ _

__

__Before Judy started to tear up, she hugged her great uncle and buried her face against his chest._ _

__

__“Love you, Uncle Thumper.”_ _

__

__He wrapped his arms around Judy. “Love you more, Jude bug.”_ _

__

__“Wait. If you’re fine with Nick, then why did you text me in all caps?”_ _

__

__“Sorry, I pressed something on my damn phone and it keeps doing that.”_ _

__

__Judy laughed. “I’ll help you if you want.”_ _

__

__The doe pretended she didn’t see him wipe his eyes as he asked, “Are you going help me figure this thing out here or at the hospital?”_ _

__

__Judy wanted to see Nick, but she couldn’t do much for him in the waiting room and they still had a few things to talk about._ _

__

__“I think we should go on a proper date before I start introducing Nick to relatives.”_ _

__

__“Fair enough.”_ _

__

__“Um, Uncle Thumper, did you take the truck over here?”_ _

__

__“Yes.”_ _

__

__The old buck raised an eyebrow when he saw a twinkle in Judy’s eye. “I know that look. What are you planning?”_ _

__

__“Nothing, but could you help me get rid of my bed?”_ _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those that subscribed and bookmarked this work, thank you and I hope you liked this chapter. To be honest, I got caught up in script contests, school, and well, life things. I kept pushing this work off and on February 14th, I reread my comments and saw how many of you guys were waiting for me to post. So, I went to my old draft, finished the last 847 words and edited it. 
> 
> I just started a Star Wars fic in case you guys are interested and plan to update this work around the same time I update The Order of Aster. 
> 
> Anyway, I really appreciate all the kudos and comments you left me. Sometimes, knowing people like my work really helps push me forward and I also hate the feeling of leaving things unfinished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finnick takes Nick home from the ER. We learn more about Finn and Nick's friendship. Nick and Judy have a talk and things happen. (; 
> 
> Trigger warning: There will be implied domestic violence in this chapter.

Nick grumbled as he shook off the snow that was collecting on his cast. He only had the thing on for ten minutes and was already counting the days until he could take it off. He felt like a stegosaurus when his tail accidently wacked a few patients on the way out of the ER. He was beyond annoyed when he couldn’t find a comfortable sitting position in the van. He was absolutely miserable, but was thankful Finnick took pity on him. The fennec fox only laughed once instead of his usual guffaw. 

“Don’t worry, Nick. I’m sure your honey bunny is going to kiss it and make it feel all better.”

The fennec fox smirked. “It’s probably the only thing she can do ‘til you lose the cast.”

Nick groaned. _Looks like I’ll be practicing abstinence for another eight weeks._

“Can we steer the subject away from my sex life?” _Or lack thereof._

Finnick shrugged as he turned out of the parking lot. 

“There’s some chatter around Tundratown.”

The fox raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Big’s been keeping a low profile since Little Judy was born.”

Finnick shook his head. “Don’t know all the details, but it’s got something to do with the fire from two weeks ago.”

“Please tell me you’re not talking about the fire at the Ursus Factory.”

“Naw, Nick. I’m talking about some other fire in the area. ‘Course it’s the Ursus fire!”

“Sheesh, you can’t blame a mammal for hoping.”

The Ursus family were rumored to be distant cousins to the Mormont Crime Family. For years, the ZPD watched the Ursus Fish Packaging Factory on the edge of Tundratown in hopes of finding stolen goods, but the only thing they found was fish. Little did the cops know, the Mormonts were smuggling diamonds within the fish. Nick knew that because cleaning the gutted carcasses was one of his first paid jobs, granted the fox still couldn’t include it in his taxes. 

“The arson division said it was faulty wiring.”

Finnick snorted. “Thought you were smarter than to believe that bull.”

“I’m smart enough to not sniff around someone else’s crap pile.”

“Couldn’t have fooled me. Tell me, was it smart for a popsicle hustler to team up with the fuzz?”

Nick smiled softly as he held the hat Judy made him. “Smartest decision of my life.”

“Damn. You’ve gone soft, Wilde.”

The fox turned to his former partner and saw that there was no real heat behind his words. At first, Finnick wasn’t Judy’s biggest fan. He thought she was just using and burning Nick after the whole press conference fiasco. When Judy asked the fennec fox where she could find Nick, he wanted to tell her off, but stopped after the rabbit used her doe eyes. She then explained how she had to make things right not only between predators and prey, but also between them. Judy also earned a few points when she helped Finnick study for his private investigator exam. Now, the two of them would gang up on Nick and have gym dates. 

“You know you love our Golden Trio.” The fox turned to the smaller vulpine. “Although, I got to say, I miss those goodbye kisses.”

Finnick rolled his eyes. “If you don’t watch yourself, it might drop to a duo.”

“You wouldn’t leave us.”

“Who said I was the one ditching?”

Nick’s chest felt tight. He knew what Finnick meant, but there was still a small part of him that feared Judy would leave him. He dug his claws into the pompom on his hat. 

_If she knew about everything I did to earn some cash…_

His friend interrupted his dark thoughts. 

“Hey, Judy knows you ain’t a saint. The bun’s smart; she probably has an idea about the shit you used to dive into.”

Finnick sighed. “If she hasn’t ran away yet, I don’t think she’ll ever come to her senses.”

The corner of Nick’s lips twitched a bit. “Thanks, Finn.”

“Enough with this mushy shit. Word on the street is that Big torched the place.”

Nick scowled. “Mr. Big and Boreas Mormont have been allies for years—no decades. They both ran the Tikaani Family out of Tundratown. You sure you heard it right?”

Finnick glared at the fox as he tugged on his right ear. “You see how big my ears are?”

The fennec fox grumbled under his breath, “Misheard my ass.”

“Now, buddy. I didn’t mean to doubt your ears. You know what they say about mammals with big ears.”

“And you know what they say about saps who cross the Mormonts. Old Man Boreas knows you and Judy are in Big’s pocket.”

Before Nick could argue that they didn’t work for the mob, Finnick said, “I’m telling you as some kind of courtesy.”

“Did the Mormonts hire you?” 

There was a pause. “I’m weighing my options.” 

Finnick shrugged. “Maybe enough dough will convince me to ignore the rumors about how the Mormonts feed their fishes.”

Nick breathed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let me get this straight. Are you telling me that you’re either going to work for Mr. Big as some kind of spy and get inside information on the Mormonts or you’re going to work for the Mormonts—who, by the way, might want to kill me and my recently acquired girlfriend—and find out if _my goddaughter’s_ family ordered the fire?” 

The fennec fox shook his head. “I knew I should’ve bought you a pie before telling you…”

“You think pie will make me feel better! Jeeze, Finn. The fact that you have to choose…I mean, where’s the loyalty?”

“There’s no honor amongst thieves.” The fennec fox glared as he kept driving. One of his paws lingered over his pocket knife. 

The smaller vulpine then had the audacity to laugh as Nick dropped his jaw in disbelief. “You should’ve seen your face!”

Finnick wiped his eyes while Nick shot daggers at him. “I got you. I got you good! Aw, Nick, don’t look at me like that. _If_ I accept a gig from the Mormonts, you know I’d keep you, the bun, and the fluffballs safe.”

“Finn, Judy would freak if she found out you work for the mob.” 

He gave the fennec fox a leveled look. “ _Any_ mob.”

“Then, you better keep your mouth shut. Don’t give me that look. It’s not like I’m telling you to use your cop resources to help me out. But that would be nice, since you know, I dropped everything to help your sorry ass and I gave you a heads up.”

“I can’t promise anything.” Nick sighed. “I always have eyes on me at the station.”

In a quieter voice, Nick continued, “It’s like they’re waiting for me to prove them right.”

“Hey, Nick.”

The fox was surprised by Finnick’s gentle tone. Nick watched as Finnick scratched one of his ears, a telltale sign that the fennec fox was embarrassed about what he had to say. 

“You got a good thing going on there and…I ain’t going to fuck it up.”

The two former partners were quiet for the rest of the drive. Nick stared out of the window as his mind drifted to everything that happened during the past nine hours: the awkward moment after the presentation, the tiff with Cottontail, the centipede incident, the ER visit, and the whole deal surrounding the Ursus Fire. His shoulders sagged from exhaustion. He was physically and emotionally spent. 

When Finnick parked outside the Grand Pangolin’s Arms, he said, “Wait ‘til after Big’s party to tell Judy. I should’ve picked my client by then.” 

Nick ignored the fact that Finnick knew about the party. He simply nodded. He slowly made his way off the seat and silently cursed when his tail got caught in the seatbelt. As he was struggling to free his tail, he stole a glance at Finnick. The fennec fox seemed to have been lost in thought. Nick noticed that Finnick was toying with a handmade bracelet. Nick knew the bracelet embarrassed Finnick to no end and was thankful Finnick chose to hide it instead of throwing it in the trash. 

“I can’t believe you still have it. I was like, what, twelve?”

“I didn’t want you to ball your eyes out,” Finnick growled. “Your mother would have killed me.”

Nick laughed. “You know she loves you.”

“She’s a good lady.”

Finnick mumbled, “And you were a good kit.”

Neither Nick nor Finnick were good with expressing their emotions. Finnick learned how the world could be cruel to those with little power at around the same age Nick wanted to join the junior ranger scouts. After having his lunch money stolen one too many times, Finnick decided _he_ was going to be the one to take others’ money. He ran a few cons in the streets and mastered the ways of the baseball bat. The fennec fox distanced himself from other mammals. He couldn’t take from them if he cared about them. He told himself he wouldn’t care about anyone. It was easier that way. He couldn’t get hurt that way. Finnick then found a kit crying his eyes out, because he couldn’t help his mother. Against his better judgement, the fennec fox taught the kit everything he knew about the world. 

Both foxes trained themselves to hide their weaknesses behind callous masks and jokes. But sometimes around winter, Finnick would let a few of his walls down. 

“Finnick, you don’t have to pick either of them.”

The fennec fox smiled, but there was no warmth to it. “I’ll see you later.” 

Without another word, Finnick was gone. 

*-*-*-*-*-*

Nick was on autopilot. He walked through the apartment complex and searched for his keys while thinking about the Ursus Fire, the Mormonts, and Mr. Big. 

_Mr. Big was the one who got me my job at the factory. He asked the old grizzly as a personal favor himself. They were friends. Well, as friend-like as mobsters could be, I guess. Why would Mr. Big set the factory on fire? There was no competition. They made some agreement that distributed different…_ commercial interests _between the two of them. I didn’t hear anything about Boreas disrespecting the family. Great, now I’m referring to the Bigs as ‘the family.’_

Nick mumbled to himself, “None of this makes any sense.”

“You know what else doesn’t make sense? How a little bunny can make so much damn noise!” shouted Nick and Judy’s neighbor, Bucky Oryx-Antlerson. 

“Yeah! We were trying to enjoy some quiet time. And—BAM!—that bunny started moving crap around and singing.”

“Loudly!”

“And off FUCKING key!”

“Hey, fox!”

“Yeah, fox!”

“You tell your girlfriend to keep it down!”

Normally the fox was amused when Bucky and Pronk interjected themselves into his and Judy’s business while they fought in their room. 

_But today is not one of those days._

“Hey, Bucky. I don’t think the fox can help.”

“Why the hell not! He needs to tell his bunny…”

“I don’t think they’re together anymore.”

There was a sinking feeling in Nick’s gut. 

“What you saying, Pronk?”

“I said that they aren’t together! I think the bunny’s kicking him to the curb.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I saw mammals go into their apartment and take stuff out.”

“Mammals? What mammals?”

Nick couldn’t believe he was listening to Pronk and talking to his neighbors through their walls. 

“There was this buff tiger, looked like one of Gazelle’s dancers, and a chubby cheetah and some old rabbit.”

_Fangmeyer, Clawhauser, and I’m guessing Judy’s uncle were here. No red flags there._

Nick was about to dismiss his neighbors, when he saw two carboard boxes and his futon outside of his and Judy’s apartment. Logic was thrown out the window as his mind raced to how many times he had pushed Judy away at the school. Nick felt numb. He didn’t even think as he entered the apartment and called for Judy. 

When he opened the door, he saw Judy dancing the apartment while fixing her knick-knacks on their desk. Nick could tell she had her earphones put to the highest volume, since he could hear some of Gazelle’s hit song. He saw that she was still in her uniform and was covered in sweat. 

“Birds don’t just fly! They fall down and get up!”

The rabbit started to bounce around while pumping her fist into the air. She quickly stopped when she noticed she had an audience.

“Oh! Hi, Nick.”

Judy took the earphones out and raced towards the fox. “I’m sorry I’m all sweaty and gross.”

She sighed. “I was going to surprise you, but I lost track of time…”

“Are you kicking me out?”

Judy’s eyes widen after Nick’s sudden outburst. She then scrunched her eyebrows while she asked, “Did I miss something?”

Without warning, she hit herself upside the head. “Sweet cheese and crackers! You saw the stuff outside.”

Judy carefully reached for Nick’s paw. She held it close to her chest as she moved closer to him. Nick remained frozen in place. Within a few minutes, he leaned into Judy and inhaled her scent. Once Judy saw that they were both calm, she peered at his face. 

“I’m not kicking you out.”

She then led Nick by the paw to a king size mattress on the floor. She twisted one of her ears and looked sheepish. 

“I…I felt terrible about making you feel bad in the hallway, and I thought we could use something that was ours.”

She quickly added, “And I figured my bed took up too much space and your futon had seen better days, but I should have asked you before I bought the mattress, and I’m sorry I didn’t put the bed frame together yet. The boys were no help. Well, they helped move things. We had to move the furniture around to get the bed out, so that’s why your futon and some boxes were…”

Nick sighed in relief. 

_I should have known better than to listen to those two idiots. Should I let her ramble? She is awfully cute when she’s flustered._ He lovingly shook his head. _What am I going to do with you, Judy?_

The rabbit ceased her mad babbling when his arms engulfed her. 

“Breathe, Carrots.” 

“I’m sorry, Nick.”

“No, Judy. I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t handle things well at Bellaire.”

“Well…I didn’t either.”

Judy paused. “Nick, I want us to be honest with each other.”

The sinking feeling returned with a vengeance. 

_Should I tell her about Mr. Big? Now’s probably not the best time, and I did tell Finn that I would wait. In all fairness, it’s not like we pinkie swore or did some blood oath. If Fru tells her the family—the Bigs—might hire Finn and Judy finds out I knew about it and didn’t tell her, I’ll be a dead fox. On the other paw, if Judy doesn’t find out, I’ll tell her after the party and she’ll just be pissed off at Finn. The party is tomorrow. I can hold off for one more day. Right?_

Since Nick had remained silent, Judy continued, “You weren’t being completely unreasonable about Cottontail.”

That got Nick’s attention. 

“What did he do?”

“Nick, it wasn’t _that_ bad. He asked me out.” 

Judy quickly added, “Of course, I turned him down and told him I’m perfectly happy with my…”

Judy cupped Nick’s cheek and stood on her tippy toes in order to reach his face. “Very handsome and overprotective fox.”

“You forgot clever and sexy.”

The rabbit rolled her eyes. 

“Listen, Judes. Since we’re going to be honest with each other, there’s something I need to tell you, but it’s going to have to wait until tomorrow.”

“You can tell me now.”

Nick shook his head. “The, uh, situation may change by then.”

Judy quirked an eyebrow. “All right, now I’m worried.”

“Trust me, Judes, it can wait one more day.”

_Hopefully._

“I trust you, Nick” 

The fox looked into his beloved rabbit’s eyes and knew she was telling the truth. His chest tightened as his heart hammered against his ribcage. Never had anyone displayed such trust in him. It made him feel guilty about not telling her about Mr. Big and thinking she would pack his things while he was in the ER. 

Judy bit her lower lip. Her gaze rested on Nick’s lips for a few moments before she decided to kiss him. The kiss was chaste and sweet. But they didn’t let it stay that way. 

Nick deepened the kiss. His canines accidently scraped against Judy’s lower lip. Judy’s toes were beginning to hurt, so she wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck as her legs snaked around his waist. The fox grunted when her foot hit his tail. Judy broke their kiss to apologize. Nick took the opportunity to kiss her neck. His warm lips ran a trail down her slender neck to her shoulder. Judy made a few encouraging noises, which spurred the fox on. He lifted Judy to their new mattress as he cupped her butt and kissed her. 

As soon as they hit the mattress, Judy began taking off Nick’s shirt. She explored his soft, red fur as she began to suck on the sensitive skin under Nick’s jawline. He inhaled deeply and was about to cup the back of her head when his paw brushed against one of her ears. Judy stiffened. Curiously, Nick rubbed the tip of that ear. Judy closed her eyes and leaned into Nick’s side. 

_Is this just calming or…_

Judy shivered as Nick ran his tongue down the length of her ear. He smiled smugly. 

_Why Miss Hopps, I do believe I found your kink._

Nick was about to nip on her ear. 

I MESSED UP TONIGHT!

Nick and Judy groaned. 

“Sorry! I forgot to change the ringer.”

Judy was about to silence her phone, but stopped when she saw who was calling. 

“It’s Mollie.”

“Call her back in the morning.” Nick began to nibble on the tip of Judy’s ear. 

“Ni-iiick! It’s midnight where she’s at. This may be important.”

The fox huffed, but didn’t say anything as Judy answered the phone. 

 

(WARNING: Implied Domestic violence)

 

“Hello? Mollie?”

“Hi, Judy. I’m sorry to call so late, but…I was wondering if you were coming home for the holidays.”

Judy scrunched her eyebrows. “I was shooting for January. Mollie, is everything ok?”

Nick heard Mollie sniff from over the phone. 

“January? I think that would work. Yes, I can do that.” 

Judy flinched when she heard a loud bang. 

“What was that?”

“I…I have to go.”

“What’s going on?”

Judy’s ears shot straight up when she heard Mollie’s boyfriend, Drew, yell, “Who are you talking to?”

“I’ll call you soon.”

“Don’t hang up…!”

Before her friend ended the call, Drew shouted, “You better not be calling him!”

“Mollie? Mollie!”

Judy panicked. She redialed Mollie’s number, but it kept going straight to voicemail. 

“Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.”

Nick was speechless. He didn’t like what he heard and knew Mollie could be in some serious trouble. His eyes then widened. 

_Didn’t Judy tell me she had a kid?_

Nick vanished his thoughts about Mr. Big and the Ursus Fire. He placed a paw on Judy’s shoulder. 

“I need you to breathe, Judy. When we get to the station, we’ll make some calls and check in on Mollie. Once we know what’s happening, we’ll help her and her kid…”

“But what if tomorrow’s too late!”

Judy’s nose started to twitch. “She’s my best friend, and Billy’s my godson. Nick, they have to be safe. They just have to.”

Nick wrapped his arms around Judy. 

“We’ll take care of them, Judes.”

_I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Mollie! Don't worry, she and Billy are ok. They get out of their house safely. 
> 
> The next chapter will be about our leading couple trying to find Mollie and Mr. Big "asking" them to go to the party. There will be some action coming up.


End file.
